BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty during a roadshow in support of party candidate Sukanta Majumdar ahead of the Lok Sabha election at Gangarampur in South Dinajpur district of West Bengal on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called Mithun Chakraborty a “big traitor from Bengal”, the actor-turned-politician on Saturday participated in a BJP road show with the party’s State president Sukanta Majumdar and raised allegations of corruption against the Trinamool Congress.
At a rally in Raiganj earlier this week, Ms. Banerjee had accused Mr. Chakraborty of “bowing his head in the RSS office just to save his son”. Mr. Chakraborty was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Trinamool in 2014 but the actor quit in 2016 citing ill health. A few years later, Mr. Chakraborty warmed up to the BJP.
The Chief Minister’s attack on the veteran actor came at a time when he has been actively campaigning for BJP candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Mr. Chakraborty is one of the star campaigners of the BJP. On Saturday, he campaigned for Mr. Majumdar who is contesting from the Balurghat Lok Sabha seat in Dakshin Dinajpur district.
Addressing a gathering at Kushmundi, Mr. Chakraborty said he will not make personal comments against anyone. “Have they not engaged in cattle smuggling, not engaged in sand smuggling? Have they not engaged in corruption in jobs? Now how can the candidate of such a party work for you? I am not taking any names, it is for you to decide,” he said.
On the Chief Minister labelling him a traitor, he said, “I can be a traitor or anything. But it will be people who will have the final say.”