Mithun Chakraborty joins BJP

‘I am a cobra, I will bring death in one strike,’ he says at Modi’s Kolkata rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanges greetings with Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty during a public meeting at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on March 7, 2021.

Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty on Sunday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and started his new political journey with a new dialogue “ Ek chobol chobi ” (death in one strike).

Mr. Chakraborty was once close to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a Rajya Sabha MP of the Trinamool Congress before he resigned from the Upper House in 2016. 

He joined the BJP at a rally at Brigade parade grounds, minutes before

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the gathering . Mr. Modi described Mr. Chakraborty as “Bengal’s own son”, whose life exemplified “struggle and success”. 

“Today is like a dream for me. I have never imagined that I would be sharing the dais with the biggest leader of the biggest democracy, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Mr. Chakraborty said. He added that he had a “dream to work for the poor, downtrodden which, it is seen as being fulfilled”.

Mr. Chakraborty is undoubtedly one of West Bengal’s cultural icons, who still has a considerable fan following across the State. He was greeted with lot of cheers at the Brigade parade grounds. The actor did not disappoint his fans by repeating a dialogue from one of his films: “ Ami jol dhorao noi, bele borao noi, ami ekta cobra, jat ghokhro, ek chhobole chhobi  [I am not a jol dhora  (water snake), I am not bele bora (another species of non-poisonous snake), I am a cobra, I will bring death in one strike].” Mr. Chakraborty said that he was a proud Bengali and would always remain by the side of the poor. 

Later, speaking to journalists, the 70-year-old actor said that he would not point fingers at anyone on why he had left the TMC. “I can only say it was my bad (wrong) decision,” he said. Mr. Chakraborty said that the BJP was the only party that was working for the poor. “You can call me selfish but all I can say is that I want to stand by the poor...we all will work towards the realisation of the Prime Minister’s making of ‘

Sonar Bangla ’ (golden Bengal).” 

The Trinamool Congress leadership expressed disappointment over the development. TMC MP Sougata Roy said that Mr. Chakraborty had been a supporter of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), after which he campaigned for the TMC in 2014, following which he was sent to the Rajya Sabha with the support of the TMC. Mr. Roy wondered when Mr. Chakraborty would make a political U-turn again.