Suman sings, Mamata seethes

Suman sings, Mamata seethes

OUR BUREAU

Calcutta, Jan. 5: Mamata Banerjee is battling a problem that stalks indiscriminating hosts: how to stop your guest from singing. Kabir Suman, the "honoured guest" of the Trinamul Congress and singer who happened to get elected as Jadavpur MP, is bent on singing paeans to Chhatradhar Mahato, the arrested Lalgarh spearhead from whom Mamata has been trying to distance herself. Unable so far to dissuade Suman from cutting an album that has some lines with the potential to embarrass the party (see chart), Mamata has clarified that Trinamul doesn't endorse the content of Chhatradharer Gaan (Songs of Chhatradhar). "I have heard that Kabir Suman has recorded some songs for an album called Chhatradharer Gaan. But the party does not endorse his songs. They may be the expression of his personal feelings. He is a singer and may express his individual feelings in any manner he likes," the Trinamul chief said. "Kabir Suman is after all an honoured guest in the party. He is an artiste and we have taken him from outside," she added, seeking to dissociate the party from the album. Mamata also vented ire on Mahato's committee. "I strongly condemn the violence being let loose by the People's Committee in the Jangal Mahal area," she said. The album, with eight songs written, composed and sung by the Jadavpur MP, is yet to be released. But some CDs have been circulated among Suman's friends. "These songs are from my heart," said Suman. According to him, a little magazine will release the album during the Calcutta Book Fair. "The CPM is trying to establish that we have links with the Maoists through the People's Committee. If a party MP sings songs in favour of the committee or its leaders, it is really embarrassing for us," a Trinamul functionary said. In one song, Suman makes it clear that he is not enjoying his stint as a politician, exposing the inherent pitfalls in Mamata's policy of welcoming "intellectuals" with open arms without considering if they can cope with the pulls and pressures of public life. Among those who hotfooted to Mamata at the peak of the Nandigram and Singur campaigns were many who were disenchanted — critics say disgruntled with lack of adequate rewards — with their erstwhile Left guardians. This is the second time Suman has put the party in a spot. In November, he had alleged that some Trinamul leaders were trying to dictate terms on spending his MP local area development money. A Trinamul leader said Mamata tonight held a meeting with her aides to discuss the next course of action. But sources said that even if the stand-off were defused, it would be a matter of time before another cropped up.