Fang Shui: The Martial Art Of Mithunda

Place: Calcutta바카라�s Brigade Parade Ground, known for its amphitheatrical ethos, with a tradition of mighty political grandstanding, on March 7. Dramatis personae: PM Narendra Modi, other top BJP leaders and Mithun Chakraborty. Audience: Tens of thousands of BJP supporters. 바카라�I know you are waiting to hear that dialogue from me바카라�maarbo ekhaney, lash porbey shmashaney (I바카라�ll hit you here and you바카라�ll land in the burning ghat)바카라�that will continue, but I am giving you a new one now,바카라� Mithun Chakraborty said. 바카라�Do remember this dialogue,바카라� he continued after a pause. 바카라�I am summing up all that the senior leaders said so long바카라�and the dialogue reflects me, Mithun Chakraborty. I do what I say. Ami Joldhora-o Noi, Balibora-o noi, ami jaat gokhro. Ek chhobolei chhobi. Hya, ebar etai hobe Banglay.바카라� That bloodcurdling line means, 바카라�I am neither Joldhora nor Balibora (non-venomous snakes); I am the real cobra. Just one bite and you바카라�ll become a photograph. Yes, that바카라�s what going to happen in Bengal this time.바카라� The crowd burst into wild cheers. The presence of the ever-popular Mithun바카라�clad in the traditional Bengali attire of dhuti-panjabi (kurta)바카라�in the high-profile rally was touted as its prime attraction.

A few minutes after Chakraborty바카라�s cinematic delivery, PM Modi바카라�s speech revealed what triggered the BJP바카라�s enth­usiasm over getting Chakraborty to their fold. 바카라�Today, we have Bengal바카라�s son Mithun Chakraborty with us,바카라� Modi said, clearly attempting to counter Trinamool Congress바카라�s campaign branding chief minister Mamata Banerjee as 바카라�Bengal바카라�s own daughter바카라�.

The TMC has pegged the election as one between Bengali and bohiragoto, or 바카라�outsiders바카라�; Mamata has vowed that outsiders will not rule Bengal.  Desperately seeking a suitable riposte, the BJP has been looking for credible Bengali faces, ideally icons from different walks of life. In Mithun they have found their man.

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Is Mithun Chakraborty the party바카라�s chief ministerial candidate then? After the rally, Mithun told journalists that he would not rule out contesting the elections. 바카라�Who knows in which way things unfold?바카라� he mused.

Sources in the BJP indicated that the central leadership wanted Mithun to contest the elections but, as of March 16, nothing had been finalised. To be a candidate, Mithun will have to become a voter in Bengal by March 31, when notification for the final round of the eight-phase polls will be issued.

바카라�As of now, the party has not considered him as a probable CM candidate. The party has other names in mind. However, it definitely wants him to play a big role in the campaign,바카라� says a senior BJP leader.

The pull that Mithun has over Bengalis is, however, impressive. One of the most versatile actors of his generation, the 71-year-old has acted in critically accla­imed arthouse films, and in cringe-pop B-grade movies, besides being a top Bollywood star for long. In Bengali and Hindi movies, impossible acts of heroics and cracking dialogues have made him a legend. Revered for his philanthropic and charity shows in Bengal, especially campaigns for thalassemia awareness and blood donation, Mithun has hosted popular dance shows on Bengali television in recent years. His high ethical standards are known too바카라�he was India바카라�s highest tax payer at one time.

Following his joining the BJP, senior TMC leader and Mamata confidant Firhad Hakim put in a snide one: 바카라�He is as versatile in politics as in acting.바카라� It was a reference to Mithun바카라�s previous stints with politics. Mithun, linked with the Naxalite movement in the 1970s, later became close to the CPI(M) and campaigned for them during the Left Front regime. After Mamata came to power, he became close to her, campaigned for the TMC and went on to become a Rajya Sabha member in 2014.

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However, late that year, his name got dragged into the Saradha chit fund scam after the Enforcement Directorate sent him summons for his involvement with the tainted group of companies. He clarified that payments he received from Saradha were in his professional capacity. Nonetheless, he returned Rs 1.19 crore to the ED in 2015; in December 2016, he resigned from the Rajya Sabha and distanced himself from the TMC.

For such a punctilious man, was it anger at the TMC바카라�for dragging him into a financial scam바카라�that birthed the now-famous 바카라�cobra바카라� line? Mithun himself has refused to comment on the Trinamool. 바카라�I don바카라�t want to blame or attack anyone. It was my mistake, my bad decision,바카라� he told journalists. Over the next few days, in interviews to TV channels, he never attacked or spoke against the Left or the TMC.

The closest he came to criticising the Mamata Banerjee regime was that the state was in a complete mess and required a total overhaul. About Modi, of course, he had an admiring line: 바카라�You have to appreciate the constant efforts at improving.바카라�

But the interviews, while displaying political courtesy towards adversaries rare for the modern politician, also rev­ealed Mithun바카라�s lack of understanding of real political issues.

During one interview, he repeatedly ducked all questions on policies and politics, could cite no particular reason why he joined the BJP, or why the Trinamool government needed to be replaced. He could not even elaborate what 바카라�Sonar Bangla바카라�바카라�PM Modi바카라�s ultimate poll promise of a golden Bengal바카라�would look like. All he could muster was that he wanted to work for the poor, needed support for that and that the BJP will give him that support.  

The one political issue on which he commented was the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. 바카라�Every state should implement a central legislation passed by Parliament. They are duty-bound to do that,바카라� said Mithun.

Can someone like this바카라�evidently clueless about most things that matter in an election바카라�be an effective electoral face? More importantly, can someone who is reluctant to target Mamata have any imp­act, apart from drawing a crowd? Vetertan TMC MP Sougata Roy dismissed him as 바카라�an icon of bygone eras바카라�.

The BJP camp is hopeful. 바카라�Here is one of the most successful Bengalis calling for a change in Bengal. Why shouldn바카라�t it have an impact?바카라� asked BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh.

Perhaps filmy dialogues do work. The TMC not only used Mithun바카라�s services extensively, Mamata herself has partaken of a variation of the Maarbo Ekhaney, Lash Porbey Shmashaney dialogue on numerous occasions. Ghosh, too, has taken to the dialogue from the hit Bengali movie MLA Fatakeshto.   

On social media, however, Mithun바카라�s 바카라�cobra바카라� lines have earned him a great deal of criticism. It also generated a stream of memes, highlighting his political affiliations and choice of filmy dialo­gues. Political graffiti바카라�that time-­­tested bellwether of Bengal polit­ics바카라�are busy too. A TMC graffiti in Bur­dwan district advise people to keep car­­bolic acid at home for protection against 바카라�a self-proclaimed venomous snake바카라�.

The filmstar was yet to start his campaign. We will soon find out if Mithun바카라�s bite will paralyse the TMC or whether he remains a 바카라�harmless snake바카라�. On the day he joined the BJP, Mithun told the media, 바카라�Picture abhi baaki hai바카라�. A poisonous snake, remember, has enough twists in its unpredictable course.