BJP to play Babul’s song till EC’s clarification

Kolkata, April 8 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukul Roy on Monday said that the party will play the song composed by Babul Supriyo till it gets a clarification from the Election Commission (EC) on removal of words like "pishi" (aunt) and "didi" (sister).

"In the letter we were asked to remove the word 'pishi'. I have sought a clarification regarding the same. Till we get a reply, the song will be played," Roy told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, here.

BJP MP Babul Supriyo was slapped a show cause notice as the song was circulated on the web without the EC's Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) certificate. Also, the Trinamool Congress had filed a complaint regarding the song's content.

Roy also said the Election Commission (EC) didn't object to the Hindi version of the song.

Asked about the complaint against the party for not seeking permission, Roy said the MCMC was a mere Memorandum of Understanding among the political parties. "If they think there is any violation, they need to satisfy us with an explanation," he said.

"Will the words 'pishi' and 'didi' be removed from the Bengali vocabulary? Will we not have aunts and sisters," Roy asked.

Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is affectionately referred to as "didi". Banrjee is also the aunt of Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee.

Roy further mentioned that he met the Chief Electoral Officer to discuss the proper deployment of central forces during the Lok Sabha elections.