TMC's intolerance on next level! Arijit Singh's concert in Bengal cancelled for singing "Rang De tu Mohe Gerua" at KIFF 2022?

Popular singer Arjit Singh's concert, which was scheduled to be held in Kolkata on February 18, has been cancelled by the West Bengal government. Now, this has sparked fresh controversy with BJP saying that this was done intentionally by the TMC government. The police had denied permission for the concert, citing a G20 event being held in the vicinity.

 

 

 

BJP's Amit Malviya said this was because Arijit Singh sang 'Rang de tu mohe gerua', his famous song in front of chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the inauguration of the Kolkata International Film Festival. The song is from Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dilwale and is one of Arijit's most popular ones. And it was one of the songs that he performed at the KIFF apart from his famous Bengali songs.

 

“"Sr Bachchan was on dot when he spoke about shrinking space for civil liberties and freedom of expression at the Kolkata Film Festival. Arijit Singh who sang ‘Rang de tu mohe gerua’ with Mamata Banerjee on the dais now finds his show at Eco Park cancelled by HIDCO, a WB Govt body," tweeted Amit Malviya, the BJP IT cell in-charge.

 

 

Leader of Opposition and BJP’s Nandigram MLA Suvendhu Adhikari also took to Twitter to react to the incident. “Music has no boundaries when it comes to Pakistani Ghulam Ali but the case is different for Hindustani Arijit Singh,” he wrote.

 

A similar controversy broke out after Mithun Chakraborty-starrer Projapoti, a Bengali movie, did not get released at Nandan, the prestigious government-run theatre.

 

However, West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim said the permission for Arijit Singh's event was not granted as a G-20 event is also scheduled at the same area. "The event marking India's G-20 presidency will take place at the convention hall just opposite the Eco Park (the venue where Arijit Singh's concert was supposed to take place). Several foreign dignitaries are likely to attend that event," Firhad Hakim said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

 

Netizens have also reacted to this development.