When the artless Ambikesh Mahapatra, a chemistry professor of Jadavpur University, forwarded a caricature of Mamata Banerjee, little did he know that cartoons fell under the supreme leader’s category of conspiracy rather than culture. One can hardly blame the man of science for getting his art wrong. But to ignore the basic survival rule of his trade- “Handle with care: volatile mix”…and that too, when dealing with Bengal’s big flame, M.B., the Queen of Hearts ?! Mamata’s minions rushed to cool her down by assaulting and then arresting the Forward Fiend.
While the mainstream media erupted over the attack on the freedom of thought and expression, the professor learnt an important lesson. In this topsy-turvy version of democracy, he was not free to criticize his elected representative while she was free to condemn him.
Just as another Queen of another Wonderland had once said, “All ways here are my ways”, so also is freedom what the party in power makes of it. In its zealous mission of “civilizing people” and stopping them from spreading “canards” (Bengal’s Transport Minister Madam Mitra), Mamata and her party blessed with the flexible forces of law justified taking liberties with liberty.
So whether it is a case of a gag order or gag at the order, the fact remains that in the rabbit-hole politics of West Bengal, the party can make itself heard loud and clear, but for the masses, mum is the word.
Sangeeta Mahapatra 