Trinamool Congress MP Kabir Suman's latest CD, Chhatradharer Gaan (Songs of Chhatradhar Mahato) makes a political statement that has made the chief of his party, Mamata Banerjee, see red.
While the CD itself is scheduled to be released during the Kolkata Book Fair, pirated versions are already doing the round on the college and university campuses.
The eight songs composed and sung by Kabir Suman himself have sent a strong statement in favour of the tribals of Lalgarh in their struggle against the state at a time when Mamata Banerjee is trying to distance her party from the Naxalites-led tribal movement at Lalgarh.
The lyrics of some songs make strong radical statements like, "Jungle Tumi Kaar? Mukh bujey sob saoa, naaki bidroho eitbaar?” ( Forests, whom do belong to? Should you suffer wordlessly or is it time for you to revolt?)
The matter doesn’t end there. By dedicating the songs to Chhatradhar Mahato, the leader of the Committee of the People against Police Atrocities, Kabir Suman has put his party leader in a quandary. Chhatradhar Mahato, now in police custody, has been described by both the state and the central police agencies as a leader of the Naxalite outfit (CPI Maoists) which is engaged in armed conflict with the state and central police forces.
Banerjee's efforts to rein in her party MP have failed as Kabir Suman has defied her openly and has asserted his right to compose and sing songs without getting prior clearance from his party. On last Saturday, Mamata had invited Kabir Suman to her press meet where she castigated the Naxalites and announce a series of programmes against them in the three districts of Purulia, Bankura and Paschim Medinipur, where they are actively pursuing their politics of violence.
Not only did Kabir Suman not attend that press meet, yesterday he defended his position and dared his party to muzzle him.
During a televised chat with a vernacular news channel, the MP from Jadavpur explained that had he been present in that press meet he would have no option but to protest openly when Banerjee was criticising and calling for a military action against the tribals of Lalgarh. For Kabir Suman, there was no question of supporting the" state sponsored violence on the tribals".
He reiterated his position that he would continue to enjoy his freedom as an artist and singer and would not bow to the party diktat. So far, Banerjee has described Kabir Suman as a "guest artist" in the Trinamool Congress. But Suman's defiant attitude telecast live yesterday created an uproar in the rank and file and pressure is being brought on the party leadership to throw him out of the party.
Kabir Suman is not unaware of the development and he is readying himself for it.
He has already made his intention clear that he would prefer to remain a freelance artist than becoming an MP chained to the party's requirements. Conscious that no political party allows its members who have creative bent of mind to step out of the 'Laxmanrekha' set out by the party, Kabir Suman said that political leaders need to be broadminded to allow that space to the independent minds within the party.
In this context, he mentioned the case of PC Joshi, the one-time general secretary of undivided CPI, during whose tenure the party’s cultural front thrived with creativity.
Bratya Basu, another artist who had come out openly in support of in her tirade against the Left, concurs with Kabir Suman. How Banerjee deals with Suman is yet to be seen.
