BJP has created feeling of fear over farmers' agitation : Bratya

Our government is not vindictive like the BJP,he iterated.Basu took a swipe at TMC turncoats who went to Delhirecently in a chartered flight to join BJP and wonderedwhether the saffron party gave any importance to its localleaders.This indicates that the central leadership in Delhicontrols everything in BJP and doe snot acknowledge the roleof state-level leaders.

A feeling of fear andintimidation has been created by the BJP government at theCentre over famers' agitation and it appears that manycelebrities are being ''forced'' to tweet against the movementat ''gunpoint,'' West Bengal minister Bratya Basu said onFriday.

Basu, a prominent stage and screen personalityhimself besides being a director and playwright, said thatidentical words and phrases have been shared in the tweets ofsome celebrities deriding the agitation by the farmers againstthe new farm laws of the Centre.

''It seems these tweets were extracted at gun point,''he said.

Comments by international celebrities Rihanna andGreta Thunberg on the microblogging site show that theagitation has created ripples outside the country as well,Basu said.

He decried the trolling of actor Taapsee Pannu for hersupport to and solidarity with the farmers' movement. Thetrolling shows how ''fear and persecution'' pervades the countrynow.

Drawing parallels with other states of the country, hesaid ''Despite so much criticism, mocking of our Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee, despite so much unfair, crude and personalremarks against her and the TMC, democracy prevails in WestBengal.

''We are not a regime that will imprison scores ofactivists like Varvara Rao for speaking against theestablishment. Our government is not vindictive like the BJP,''he iterated.

Basu took a swipe at TMC turncoats who went to Delhirecently in a chartered flight to join BJP and wonderedwhether the saffron party gave any importance to its localleaders.

''This indicates that the central leadership in Delhicontrols everything in BJP and doe snot acknowledge the roleof state-level leaders. This is insulting.'' In contrast, local Trinamool Congress leaders inductpeople from different fields into the party. ''This is becausewe give importance and respect to our local leaders as wellas state-level leaders,'' he said.

He said that the entry of several actors of Tollygunjfilm industry into TMC proved that ''not everyone has soldthemselves to the lure of chartered flights''. A few actors inthe Bengali film industry mulling joining BJP should thinkabout it again though it is a matter of individual choice.

Asked to comment on BJP plans to hold a Rathyatraacross the poll-bound state, Basu said TMC has nothing to sayabout it.

''But people know BJP's Rathyatra will be bereft of theideology of Sri Chaitanya. It will not promote love among thepeople, but only hatred and division.'' Basu said the 'Duare Sarkar' (government at thedoorstep) programme has attracted huge participation by thepeople. Already 2.7 crore having visited the camps and 77 percent of them have enlisted at the outreach programme to availthe benefits of 12 schemes of the TMC government.

''The opposition is only spreading canards about thecampaign,'' he added.

Veteran actor Dipankar Dey, who has in the pastfeatured in films by Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Tapan Sinhajoined TMC during the day in Basu's presence.

Critically acclaimed actor Bharat Kaul and musicianSaona Khan too joined the party.