Kolkata Correspondent //

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the Information and Communication Technology Advisor of the Awami League, who was ousted from power in the mass uprising in Bangladesh and was a dictator, gave a virtual speech at the book launch event at the Kolkata International Cultural Centre (ICCR) auditorium.

He spoke about the July 2024 movement and those killed during that time, which has created controversy in Kolkata politics.

Joy said in his speech that ‘many innocent people died’ during the 2024 movement and in his opinion it was a mistake. At the same time, he commented on the current elections.

Reactions and opinions from political figures in Kolkata regarding this speech came from various directions. Some spoke directly, while others expressed their reactions on social media.

The first reaction came from the Trinamool Congress leadership. A Trinamool Congress leader, who did not want to be named, told the media that such a controversial political speech should not be held at any book launch event or public meeting in Kolkata. Such comments could further fuel the recent political tension.

He said, Kolkata is our cultural capital, many are wondering whether political voices should be raised here.

BJP representative Pankaj Roy spoke at the event and told the media that it is the right of every person to express their opinion on the political situation in Bangladesh and we want to see a healthy discussion on the issue here.

He said, book publishing is a literary event, but if there is a political context, it can be a topic of discussion.

Indian political analyst and journalist Jayant Ghoshal said, clearly political discourse has gone behind the scenes of book publishing. It is not just a place for literary discussion but has created a small space for public opinion on political issues. According to him, Sajeeb Wazed Joy’s comments during the speech have divided the political public opinion in Kolkata.

Deep Haldar, an independent writer and director from West Bengal, said, we come here to present the story of the book and literature in front of the audience. But the commentary of the speech often becomes political. We should have kept the literary discussion in mind here.

Meanwhile, a Trinamool Congress MLA said that even if such political statements are not correct here, all opinions have the right to be expressed. However, newspapers or political parties should highlight such issues in their own programs. According to him, political workers in Kolkata have already started arguing among themselves about this speech.

A government-backed leftist analyst said that if such an international political statement is to be made on the stage of a public gathering center like Kolkata, one must first think about the impact it will have on the local political situation. He said that the issue of Bangladesh-India relations should be taken into consideration.

Amidst this reaction, a debate has arisen in the political context of Kolkata as to whether it is right to give a speech by an international political figure at any literary or cultural event. Analysts believe that such statements can further increase the heat of discussion in local politics.

On the other hand, the organization organizing the book release event, ‘Khola Hawa’, has said that despite the fact that this is a literary event and discussion, we do not consider the speeches to be political comments, but rather it is just an opportunity to highlight the political reality in the context of a book.

This series of reactions and arguments has not yet taken a final shape in any direction, either upward or downward, in the political arena of Kolkata. However, political leaders and analysts believe that this incident has opened a new chapter in the discussion on the local political stage.

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