In 1969, Mithun Chakraborty was asked by his father to leave Calcutta, now Kolkata, for his association with the Naxalites.
Five decades later, the 70-year-old veteran actor joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 7, hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived for a rally at the Brigade Ground in Kolkata.
From embracing the extreme left ideology to being a member of parliament representing Trinamool Congress, and now joining the saffron party ahead of West Bengal election, Mithun has been with all the shades of politics, literally.
"I did the politics of extremists but I was never with anyone else," Mithun said referring to his association with the Left parties and former West Bengal CM Jyoti Basu.
READ: I’m a pure cobra, you’ll be finished in one bite, says actor Mithun Chakraborty after joining BJP
Speculations about Mithun’s entry into the BJP fold had been there for quite some time now. On February 17, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat met him at his Mumbai residence. Many say that the actor was handpicked by the RSS chief considering the stardom that he enjoys in poll-bound West Bengal where BJP is challenging Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in the high-stakes election to the 294-member assembly.
Praising Mithun during the March 8 rally, the prime minister referred to the actor as “Banglar chhele” (Bengal’s own) and said Mithun’s life was an example of struggle and success.
Different shades of politics
Mithun was born as Gouranga Chakraborty on July 16, 1950, in a lower-middle-class Bengali family. He changed his name to Mithun later. In 1960s, he is said to have been influenced by Naxalite ideology and had to go in hiding for some time, according to India Today.
After being asked by his father to leave the city, Mithun joined Film and Television Institute (FTII) in Pune and started a career as an actor. As an actor, Mithun was said to be close to CPM leader Subhash Chakraborty. He, however, began to distance himself from the CPM after the Jyoti Basu rule ended in West Bengal.
“I was never in the communist party but I supported Jyoti Basu,” Mithun told CNN-News18 after he joined the BJP.
In 2014, the 'Disco Dancer' actor, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by Trinamool Congress. Soon, he found himself involved in the Sharada Chit Fund scam and was summoned by Enforcement Directorate. In 2016, he quit Rajya Sabha citing health reasons. According to PRS Legislative Research, Mithun asked no questions and did not participate in any debates.
"Trinamool made me MP. I left and I will not point fingers at anyone. I will not say whose fault it was. I will say that it was my bad decision," he said
Why BJP?
The actor says that he joined the BJP because he feels the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are trying to do something for the poor.
"I had a dream. This dream has been with me ever since I was 18 that I live with the poor, help the poor, get them respect and all my films are like that," he said.
The actor, arguably the biggest film star in the high-stakes polls, is expected to hit the ground for campaigning from March 12, the day that marks the anniversary of the Dandi March, an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in British India led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930.
“I am a man of protocol. There have been leaders in the BJP before me. I will follow the protocol,” Mithun told CNN-News18 when asked about his role if the BJP comes to power.
Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy downplayed Mithun’s entry into the BJP calling him the "star of yesteryears".
"He (Mithun) has changed parties four times. He was originally a Naxalite, then went to CPM, then he joined TMC and was made a Rajya Sabha MP," Roy told news agency ANI.
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