Intellectuals of Bengal have decided to disclose their political affiliations and support their favourites in the parliamentary elections.
The anti-Left Front intellectuals kicked off a cerebral war, through a slogan, “We want change”, portrayed through giant hoardings in many parts of Kolkata. Besides the slogan “We want change” written in bold letters, the hoardings also contain the pictures of the intellectuals and celebrities who are in favour of the “change”.
The famous faces that appear in the hoarding include actress-turned-director, Aparna Sen, writer Mahashweta Devi, dancer Mamata Shankar, theatre personalities Shaoli Mitra, Kaushik Sen and Bibhash Chakrabarty and painter Shubhaprasanna.
Interestingly, many of these intellectuals and celebrities were known to be close confidants of the Left Front, especially the CPI(M), till about a couple of years ago.
The pro-Left Front intellectuals immediately sprang into action with the talking point: “Change that harms public interest is never acceptable.” They have started raising their voices in favour of the Left Front through newspapers, TV programmes and public meetings.
The heavyweights on the list include renowned film directors Mrinal Sen and Tarun Majumdar, magician PC Sarkar, poet and educationalist Subodh Sarkar, writer Sunil Gangopadhyay and former cricket team captain Saurav Ganguly.
Explaining the rationale behind the “change”, Mahashweta Devi said the Left Front government which they supported once is not the same today. “When the Left Front came to power in 1977, we supported them. I never thought we would have to oppose them ever. But I witnessed how the state government turned anti-people over the years,” she said.
Echoing Mahashweta Devi, Shaoli Mitra said the fact that intellectuals in Bengal wants change is not a clandestine affair and they have expressed their desire for “change” in the last couple of years.
On the other hand, renowned film director, Tarun Majumdar has penned an article in Bengali daily Aajkal where he has explained why the “change” will be harmful for the people of Bengal.
“The people of Bengal understand that if the so-called change comes through, only they will suffer. In the past also, the people has not supported any force which will unleash a reign of terror and disorder in the state. I know this time too the people of Bengal will not make any mistake. Those who are fuelling the sentiment for change will be surely disheartened,” Majumdar wrote.
