BJP-backed folk music festival: Saffron bid to connect with Bengal's culture

 A source said the organisers earlier this month met Adhikari who assured them of all possible help to organise the event at Princep Ghat

Suvendu Adhikari.: File picture

Snehamoy Chakraborty, TT, Calcutta, 16.01.24 : A BJP-backed outfit will organise a music and folk festival on January 20 at Princep Ghat here to connect with Bengal's cultural space that largely remains outside the ambit of the saffron camp.

The event's main patron is BJP MLA and leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. The president of the outfit, the Cultural and Literary Forum of Bengal, which is organising the event, is BJP leader Jitendra Tiwari, a state executive committee member of the party.

The forum functionaries claimed the event had no link with any political party but said they decided on the cultural fest after hundreds of folk artistes communicated their displeasure at not getting opportunities to perform at state government events like the Sangeet Mela held on December 24.

"Our platform has tried to bring 1,200 such folk singers not invited to this year's Sangeet Mela under one umbrella. Though this year's event will be for a day, we plan a three-day fest at least next year," said Pritam Sarkar, general secretary of the outfit.

A source said the organisers earlier this month met Adhikari who assured them of all possible help to organise the event at Princep Ghat.

"Suvendu da will be at the fest to address the crowd. There will be folk singers from Darjeeling to the Sunderbans at the event," said an organiser, who also said that Sanskar Bharti, a right-wing cultural outfit, is associated with the festival.

A source in the BJP said organising such an event before Lok Sabha polls was politically significant for the saffron camp as the ruling Trinamul seemed to have complete hegemony over the folk artiste community with the Mamata Banerjee government's welfare schemes for folk artistes, including Birbhum's Baul, Purulia's Chhau to north Bengal's Bhawaiya and Gambhira.

Currently, the Bengal government provides a stipend of Rs 1,000 a month to around 1.92 lakh folk artistes. Those who perform in government events get Rs 1,000 per show.

"It is not so easy for us to organise the folk singers' community when the Mamata Banerjee government has been providing them so many benefits. However, many are unhappy with several issues related to the state government. We are trying to unite them," said a BJP leader.

A source said Baul singers Purnadas Baul and Basudeb Das Baul may perform. Basudeb hosted a lunch for Union home minister Amit Shah in Santiniketan during the BJP's campaign before the 2021 state polls

A BJP leader said such lunches did not offer any political gain to the party and they had to reach out to the community "properly".

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph