Singer Sandhya Mukherjee victim of politics, wasn’t allowed to accept Padma Shri: Dilip Ghosh

Veteran singer Sandhya Mukherjee, who passed away on Tuesday, was deprived of the Padma Shri because of Trinamool’s politics, BJP Lok Sabha MP and national vice president Dilip Ghosh said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister said that the singer deserved more than Padma Shri, the award the singer had refused in January.

Sandhya, aged 90, passed away in Kolkata on Tuesday. She had been under treatment at a private hospital, and had a cardiac arrest. On Wednesday, her last rites were performed with state honours.

Ghosh, while expressing grief at the singer’s death, said that in the last phase of her life, Sandhya became a victim of politics and was not allowed to accept Padma Shri.

She personally was never heard or seen on video refusing the award. A denial was put forward in her name by force, and she was deprived of the award, Dilip claimed. He held Trinamool responsible for playing politics.

The singer was in news last January when she had turned down Padma Shri award, as she considered the award unsuitable for a person of her stature. Besides having received several awards, she was also a recipient of Banga Bibhushan, the highest civilian award given by the West Bengal government.

Ghosh went on to add that on similar lines, the CPI(M) deprived former Bengal chief ministers Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Jyoti Basu, and the Trinamool is making use of eminent personalities who are pride of the state.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, addressing a gathering in north Bengal, said that it won’t be wrong to consider her stature to that of a Bharat Ratna awardee. Mamata said that while Padma Shri is an honour, there are two-three awards higher in stature. During her last phase of life, Sandhya received a shock (when she was offered the award), and she had felt insulted, the chief minister claimed.

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