Actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty has landed in controversy with his polarising call to Hindu supporters of the Left, Congress and Trinamool Congress to unite against Mamata Banerjee to “stop Bengal from becoming Bangladesh”.
Addressing a public meeting in Hooghly’s Chandannagar today, Mithun Chakraborty said, “You are my brothers and sisters… I am requesting Hindus in the Communist party and the Congress to become united. I would tell the Hindus in Trinamool also — let us get united and vote against this government”.
Trinamool spokesperson Tauseefur Rahman has come down heavily against the veteran actor’s remark.
“It is very unfortune to see someone like Mithun Chakraborty saying such things. He is trying to say Hindus are not united. It seems he is trying to target Hindus,” he said.
“If he feels that speaking Bengali would be considered Bangladeshi, Mithun-da should consider once where he came from,” he said.
Chakraborty’s intention on politics is unclear, he claimed. “He has been with different parties in past. Now he wants to be a leader of BJP,” Rahman said.
Trinamool’s Kunal Ghosh also took a jibe at Chakraborty.
“Mithun is coming to this state and attacking Mamata Banerjee with foul words. He has travelled across parties one after another. Now he has taken shelter in the BJP for some reason. He often comes to Bengal for shooting of his movies, and attacks Mamata Banerjee government and West Bengal,” he said.
Mithun Chakraborty’s remarks were made in the backdrop of turmoil in Bangladesh, which has resonated in Bengal.
There were intense protests in Kolkata after a young man, Dipu Das, was beaten up by mob, hanged and his body set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district.