Shatrughan Sinha: ‘Want to ask those calling me an outsider, what would they call our prime minister?’

Now it is the BJP of Modiji where there is authoritarian rule and arrogance. They told me to leave the party because I have always spoken for the people. During note bandi (demonetisation), Mamata Banerjee was the first person to speak against it then I also spoke against the move. I also spoke against the complicated GST. I always made it a point to meet Mamata Banerjee when she came to Delhi. I also met her in Mumbai. I felt that sometimes you have to choose a new path to be on the right path. After my name was announced as her party candidate last month, she gave me a call and told me to come to Asansol. When I came here, I realised that it was a historic opportunity for me and I am honoured to take it. I had also shot my film ‘Kala Patthar’ at a nearby (coal) mine. So far, I have received a lot of love and affection from the people of Asansol. We could create history in terms of the result and the victory margin. It will be a win for Mamataji, TMC and people of Asansol.

Why did you leave the Congress all of a sudden?

I don’t want to talk about the Congress now for two reasons. One, I am very much focused on the election in Asansol. I don’t want to deviate my energy or focus. Secondly, and unfortunately, the Congress is going through a crisis. And in this crisis phase they need a balm on their wounds. I don’t want to say things that would rub salt into their wounds. I still have the highest regards for Soniaji and the Congress. But the truth is, they are going through a crisis.

The BJP has described you as an “outsider” in Asansol. How are you countering that?

I am very close to Bengal, Bengali culture, language, food and Bengali cinema. I also speak very good Bengali. Now Asansol is a cosmopolitan area. People from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra have settled here and are doing business over here. I want to ask those who are calling me an outsider, especially my friends from the BJP, what would they call our Prime Minister Narendra Modi who contested elections from Varanasi? If he is an insider then how come I am an outsider?

Our great leader George Fernandes won from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Sharad Yadav won from Madhepura in Bihar, Narasimha Rao won from Ramtek in Maharashtra; our great father of the Constitution, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, won from Bengal after losing from Maharashtra, Indira Gandhi won from Chikmagalur, Rahul Gandhi also won from Wayanad. Smriti Irani also won from Amethi. India is a vast country. From Kanyakumari to Kashmir, people have the right to work and settle anywhere and fight electionS from anywhere. It has been done before and it will happen again.

If elected to the Lok Sabha, what can people from Asansol expect from you?

They would expect the sincerity and capacity to struggle and raise my voice against injustice. And to address the problems of Asansol and the people of Bengal. Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, we will make it a historic election.

Recently, there has been a large number of killings in the state, especially in Rampurhat (Birbhum). Do you think those incidents would have an impact on the election?

People do understand that politics is being played (in highlighting the killings). In the Rampurhat incident, I would say that no other chief minister in the country has reacted so swiftly, with proper action, reaction and response, the way our leader of the masses in its truest sense, Mamata Banerjee has. She announced compensation on the spot and also named the people who were behind the scenario. The incident is being politicised unnecessarily though it was a sad, unfortunate and condemnable incident. Thank god, it has not been made a communal issue. With due respect to the Calcutta High Court, I am a little surprised that it transferred the case to the CBI before the state police could finish its inquiry or come to a conclusion. The state police force has been left demoralised.

What is the conviction rate of the CBI? How many cases are pending with them for so many years? What happened to actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case? The people of Asansol are not affected in any way. They are absolutely behind Mamata Banerjee and her party.

Do you think Mamata Banerjee can be the game changer in 2024 LS polls?

She could be a game changer. She has got great leadership qualities and is the glue which will bind all Opposition forces against the BJP. I see the political future of the country being shaped through her leadership. She is a tried, tested and successful leader. What she has done for Bengal has become a role model for the country. Sitting on a wheelchair and clad in a cotton saree and hawai chappal (slippers), the kind of ‘Khela’ that she produced (in the 2021 Assembly polls) after being attacked is highly commendable.

What’s your take on the film The Kashmir Files ?

The film could be good but I am not in a position to say as I have not watched it. But I am very closed to Kashmiri Pandits. When I used to host the popular ‘Shot Gun Show’, I had done three shows on them. The great Atal Behari Vajpayeeji and Balasaheb Thackeray had liked them. I had gone to meet the Kashmiri Pandits as well. But I want to question the timing of the film and the way our Prime Minister is doing propaganda on it.

A Prime Minister is the guardian of the country. He should not differentiate people on the basis of caste, creed and religion. He should talk about the sufferers and not about the movie. Is there an agenda behind it? If the ‘Kashmir Files’ is being talked about and propagated, then what about the Gujarat Files? Pegasus Files? What about the Pandora files? There are so many files. Modiji is giving lip service. His government has completed seven years. What has he done for them? Have they (Kashmiri Pandits) been rehabilitated? Has any colony been given to them? Or a safe zone? Has the government brought in any policy for them? Has he ever gone to meet them or send a delegation? Only lip service is being done.