Kolkata intellectuals protest FDI in retail

A section of intellectuals considered to be pro-Trinamool Congress staged demonstration against FDI in retail in central Kolkata on Tuesday where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also present.

They include painters Shuvaprasanna and Samir Aich, film director Haranath Chakrabarty and Goutam Ghosh, singer Indranil Sen, music composer Jeet Ganguly, theatre personality Bibhas Chakraborty, Arpita Ghosh, Saoli Mitra, sports personalities P K Banerjee and Amal Dutt, and actors Dev and Sandhya Roy.

According to sources in the Trinamool, the rally was organised to penetrate into the larger section of the people who are still not aware of the dangerous consequences of Foreign Direct Investment in retail sector.

These kinds of rallies were frequently organised during the Singur and Nandigram movement- the two land related movement which swung Mamata Banerjee to power and it had a tremendous impact on the masses, the sources said. 

“We want to give this movement a national shape and this is just the beginning. We are going to organise these kinds of demonstrations and protest rallies throughout the country,” the sources added.

Mamata, who was at the rally with other Trinamool Congress leaders as guests, though didn’t say anything but was seen instructing the intellectuals to recite a poetry.