Is Arijit Singh's song 'Gerua' the reason for his Kolkata concert being cancelled?

An all-out political war has broken out between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The reason this time- Arijit Singh’s concert being cancelled in Kolkata. The Tum Hi Ho singer was scheduled to perform in the city’s Eco Park on 18 February, but the organisers were later denied permission for the same by a government body. While the Bengal administration has said that the concert was cancelled due to a G-20 event also set to take place in the same area, the BJP has not shied away from alleging another reason behind Arijit Singh’s show getting scrapped.

BJP’s Amit Malviya has claimed that Mamata Banerjee’s government has denied permission for Arijit Singh’s concert as the singer had sung a few lines of the song ‘Rang de tu mohe gerua’ at the Kolkata International Film Festival in front of the West Bengal Chief Minister. Malviya said that the song irked Mamata Banerjee because it contained the word “gerua” which means saffron. The politician claimed that Banerjee disliked the word as it implies the colour of the BJP’s Hindutva ideology.

Referring to Amitabh Bachchan’s statement at the KIFF on freedom of expression, Amit Malviya tweeted, “Sr Bachchan was on dot when he spoke about shrinking space for civil liberties and freedom of expression at the Kolkata Film Festival. Arijit Singh who sang “Rang de tu mohe gerua”, with Mamata Banerjee on the dais now finds his show at EcoPark cancelled by HIDCO, a WB Govt body”.

View Amit Malviya’s tweet here:

Sr Bachchan was on dot when he spoke about shrinking space for civil liberties and freedom of expression at the Kolkata Film Festival.
Arijit Singh who sang “Rang de tu mohe gerua”, with Mamata Banerjee on the dais now finds his show at EcoPark cancelled by HIDCO, a WB Govt body.

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 28, 2022

TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta hit out at Malviya and said that Arijit Singh is slated to perform in Kolkata on 18 February, but at a different venue. “#ArijitSingh will Perform in Kolkata. Not in Eco Park but Aquatica. His EcoPark booking of ₹5 lakh was refunded on 8/12/22 & further on 9/12/22 booked Aquatica. He sang “Gerua” on 15/12/22. Irrelevant, Incompetent & nicompoops of BJP has again committed a “Self Goal” again”

#ArijitSingh will Perform in Kolkata. Not in Eco Park but Aquatica. His EcoPark booking of ₹5 lakh was refunded on 8/12/22 & further on 9/12/22 booked Aquatica. He sang “Gerua” on 15/12/22.
Irrelevant, Incompetent & nicompoops of BJP has again committed a “Self Goal” again

— (@DrRijuDutta_TMC) December 29, 2022

What was the ‘Gerua’ controversy all about?

On 15 December, Arijit Singh, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan were among the guests of honour at the inauguration of this year’s edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival. At the event, Arijit Singh had sung some songs including Gerua. The romantic track was from Shah Rukh Khan’s 2015 film Dilwale. After videos of the event went viral on social media, Malviya went on to suggest that the singer “reminded Mamata Banerjee, in her backyard, that the future of Bengal is saffron…”

Singh has not yet commented on the controversy.

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