KOLKATA: Adding to the land acquisition row at Nandigram and Singur, there's now a fresh flutter that is adding resonance to the SEZ issue. This time, it is not farmers or political leaders, but a popular Bengali movie that has raised a storm in certain pockets of West Bengal.
There has been much dissident in the political circles after the release of "Tulkalam" starring popular Bollywood star Mithun Chakraborty, where he plays the role of a young leader fighting against land acquisition.
While the movie has reportedly turned out to be a box office hit, owners of some theatres across the state have distributed leaflets in an attempt to further attract the public.
They have urged cinegoers saying it gives the real story behind the Nandigram and Singur controversies. They have dubbed "Tulkalam" as a real-life document of the genocide and mass rape that took place in Nandigram.
The leaflets are mainly distributed across Nandigram-adjacent Kontai, Ramnagar, Digha and Paniparul areas in east Midnapore district. Incidentally, in all these areas, the cinema hall owners are reportedly active Trinamool Congress members.
The CPI(M) local committees have vehemently protested against such unnecessary political mileage. A Pramanik, the CPI(M) Ramnagar local committee secretary, has filed a complaint against the mass distribution of leaflets to the police.
According to Pramanik, the leaflets have been deliberately distributed to malign the image of the CPI(M). The police have stopped circulation of the leaflets.
Miffed by the police interference, the local Trinamool leadership in East Midnapore has decided to go for a counter propaganda. They are planning to gherao Ramnagar police station anytime this week to protest against the police action. Trinamool MLA, S Adhikari said the CPI(M) is in the backfoot on the Nandigram issue and hence they are scared of such harmless leaflets.
