Kolkata: Baul singer Basudeb Das rued Wednesday he could not have a word with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in spite of having the latter at his residence for lunch. Amit Shah left the poor folk artiste’s Santiniketan home shortly after having lunch there Sunday.
Das has been promised financial help by Trinamool Congress Birbhum district chief Anubrata Mondal. Das said he will attend Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s rally in the district December 29.
“I had a few things to tell to Amit Shah Ji, who is such a big person. I wanted to tell him about the condition of baul artistes and whether something could be done (to improve it),” Das said.
“The state is already offering us help but whether there could be some central initiative. Most importantly, I wished to tell him about the financial difficulties I am facing to fund my daughter’s higher education. She has recently passed MA,” Das told reporters at the TMC office, with Mondal sitting beside him.
The baul singer said he was happy to have Shah at his residence and savour the delicacies and listen to his baul song. However, he is upset as he did not get a chance to speak to the home minister. “Neither did any BJP leader get in touch with me after Amit Shah Ji left,” he informed.
Mondal said, “BJP may have forgotten Das after that day but we are by the side of baul singers for 365 days. He will get financial support from the West Bengal government.”
Das said he had been regularly getting rice and wheat under the state government’s free ration distribution for the poor during lockdown.
However, BJP national general secretary Anupam Hazra (Trinamool turncoat) hit back at the allegations. Hazra had overseen Shah’s lunch programme at Das’s residence. “The TMC woke up to the plight of Basudeb only after Amit Shah Ji had lunch and not in all these years. This shows the BJP takes the lead in spotting the poor people in society,” Das said in a Facebook post.
“If any poor family gets government help after Amit Shah Ji has lunch at their home, there will be more such lunch programmes. Also, we know after 2021 Assembly polls, the same Das will share his experience of being lifted from his home by TMC,” Hazra added.