Mamata Banerjee taps in theatre artistes to contain BJP in rural Bengal
KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reached out to the people involved in Bengali Jatra (folk theatre) for creating content on the CAA, the NRC and the NPR.
Recognising the fact that folk theatre has been a strong medium to connect the rural masses, Mamata asked content writers to focus on these issues and organise Jatras in rural parts of Bengal.
The chief minister has been promoting folk theatre by organising Jatra Utsav in districts by engaging the information and cultural affairs wing of her government. While inaugurating the event, she announced an annual hike of Rs 10,000 in doles for poor folk theatre artists. earlier, theatre artistes used to get an annual dole of Rs 15,000.
“Folk theatres are very popular entertainment event for the people living in rural Bengal. It reflects rural Bengal’s ground reality, socio-economic scenario and plight of the common people. If the issues like CAA, NRC and NPR are highlighted by folk theatre, it will have a direct and deep impact,’’ said a senior Trinamool leader, explaining the logic behind Mamata’s move to reah out to artistes.
The Trinamool supremo also instructed her party workers to stage short dramas on the CAA at street corners in rural pockets of Bengal. “The members of our students’ wing have been asked to prepare the scripts for the sort dramas and stage it in their locality,’’ said the leader.
In an attempt to counter Trinamool’s intensive campaign against the amended citizenship law, Bengal BJP already initiated door-to-door campaigns in favour of the CAA by distributing booklets and leaflets. Its workers have been also told to reach out to OBC voters as well.