Currently I will give my 120% to politics: Saayoni Ghosh

KOLKATA: Actress Saayoni Ghosh, who had contested the elections from Asansol South, has been appointed as the president of the All India Trinamool Youth Congress after Abhishek Banerjee resigned from that post to take charge as general secretary of the ruling party.
In her first message to prime minister Narendra Modi after the announcement, Ghosh said, “Watch out for 2024. Khela Hobe and we are going to win it. ‘Jotoi naro kolkathi ebar Dillir masnade hawai chhoti’,” she said.
Post the elections, Ghosh has turned down two scripts since she didn’t have the bandwidth to read them. Politics, she insists, is her only priority now. “This is the first time in my career that I was offered but refused two films without even reading the scripts. Since acting is in my blood, I will act if I am given an offer that I can’t refuse. Currently I will give my 120% to politics and Mamata Banerjee,” she said.
Ghosh doesn’t want to be an armchair politician. “I want to do all that it takes to implement didi’s vision. On Friday, Abhishek Banerjee told me that I am going to get something big. He gave me a hint that the portfolio will involve a lot of responsibility and will be almost equal to what he was. But I thought I would be asked to be a part of some committee,” she added.
Ghosh has decided to “go all out” to ensure that she can carry forward his legacy. “He has come up fantastically as a youth leader and has had a huge contribution in our landslide victory in the elections. I am quite new and need to learn from him,” she added. On being asked what tips she wants from Banerjee, she said, “With great power comes great responsibility. I want him to tell me how to deal with everybody at the same time. When you are surrounded by a thousand people and have to be fair to all, how do you keep everyone happy? We know that is not a possibility but the quality of a good leader is to ensure that it happens. I also want to know from him how to remain undaunted by all the criticism hurled from within the party and outside it. We have seen him do that. Besides, there might be some changes he wanted to make for the betterment of the youth. I would want to accomplish that work too,” she said.
Ghosh agreed that her people’s skill, fluency in both English and Bengali and ability to speak in the language of the youth will come handy. “With due respect to everyone, the youth is perhaps the most important wing that we have right now. This is especially true when we are fighting the battle against the monstrosity of the Modi government. To activate the youth and bring everyone on the same page is a big challenge. My job will involve mobilizing the youth right from the hills to the sea,” she said. “This is not an administrative but a party post. We just have three years to fight the Modi government. I have just one-and-half months to spend in each district. That is too little to have things in place. As far as functioning on the grass root level is concerned, I think 70% of the work can be done by the youth with their kind of energy and involvement,” she added.