Kabir Suman

Calcutta, Feb. 20: Trinamul Congress MP and singer Kabir Suman today said he would go ahead with his protest outside Parliament against the anti-Maoist operation Green Hunt even if his party asked him not to.

In a letter faxed to Trinamul parliamentary party chief whip Sudip Bandopadhyay, Suman wrote: “Please convene a meeting of the Trinamul Congress parliamentary party by March 6 and discuss my proposal (to protest outside Parliament). I will wait till then. But even if my proposal is rejected, I will stand outside Parliament and lodge my protest against operation Green Hunt.”

Bandopadhyay told The Telegraph from Delhi that he had received the Jadavpur MP’s fax. “I got Suman’s fax this morning. I will try to fix a date for the Trinamul Congress parliamentary party meeting after Mamata Banerjee presents the railway budget on February 24. I will also consult our leader because Suman has said he will protest even if his proposal is turned down. It appears that he wants to thrust his decision on the party but we have to go by majority opinion.”

In his letter to Bandopadhyay, Suman also dropped a hint that he might have to skip Parliament sessions frequently because of “health reasons”.

“I am not keeping well. That’s why I can’t attend Parliament frequently as advised by my doctor,” Suman wrote.

Suman had earlier told Mamata he would protest against the flush-out drive with placards outside Parliament from February 23. The singer insisted on going ahead with his protest though the Trinamul chief advised him against it.

“It was then that Mamata told Sudip to write a letter to Suman asking him to place his proposal of lodging his protest at a meeting of the parliamentary party. Sudip wrote to Suman asking him to adhere to party policies and decisions,” a Trinamul MP said.

Suman today told STAR Ananda: “There was a time when rajas and maharajas used to go hunting in forests. It was a sort of mrigaya. Now, the present rajas are doing that in the name of operation Green Hunt. I can’t live with state terror. I sent an SMS to Mamata and told her that I can’t change myself. If expelled from the party, I will continue my fight against violence as I hate it.”

“Let there be a discussion in the parliamentary party on my decision to protest. If they don’t agree to my proposal, I will go ahead with my protest outside Parliament,’’ he added.