: On his maiden visit to the West Bengal office of the BJP here on Saturday, popular playback artist Kumar Sanu was a bundle of contradictions.
Seemingly following in the footsteps of singer Babul Supriyo, who made his political debut in the Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket and went on to become Minister of State of Urban Development, Mr. Sanu said he was not interested in contesting elections but would prefer to be a Rajya Sabha MP.
“I do not want to contest elections. I am ready to help out the party in every possible way. I want to do my bit of charity in Bengal and help build schools to eliminate poverty, illiteracy and unemployment,” Mr. Sanu told media persons.
He said he had been building a school for orphans in Canning in South 24 Parganas district and had plans to provide ration to them in a bid to improve turnout in the school.
Dodging questions on how he would face the Opposition parties in his pursuit to do charity in the State without contesting elections, he said he was not expecting much opposition from political rivals.
Expressing his dissatisfaction at not being honoured by the Bengal government, despite belonging to the State, he, however, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had conferred him with a ‘Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Samman’ award in July and said he was grateful to her for the award.
“Ms. Banerjee had told me that my help would be required in the party but she never got back… There’s no possibility of going back and attending her call, if it comes,” Mr. Sanu said.
