Kolkata: With former Cine Technicians & Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) president Swarup Biswas in police custody, Tollywood faces deep uncertainty regarding technician operations. This has been compounded by confusion over the status of Eastern India Motion Pictures & Cultural Confederation. On Monday, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya clarified that the party has not sanctioned the body and those who join it may run into trouble. Tollygunge MLA Papiya Adhikary, who initially introduced the Confederation, has endorsed this stance, emphasizing that individuals attempting to join the organization by leveraging their political affiliation will run into serious trouble.On June 3, Adhikary had advocated the Eastern India Motion Pictures & Cultural Confederation (EIMPCC) before major Tollywood stakeholders. Following Bhattacharya’s remark that the party did not sanction this new body, Adhikary clarified, “I fully endorse his words. His comment was directed at BJP workers. It is true that BJP is not related to the Confederation. As a party, we do not want anyone to join the Confederation because of his or her party colour.” She emphasized that professional merit should be the sole requirement for membership.Adhikary also addressed concerns regarding her role and the nature of the organization. She explained that her efforts are rooted in humanitarian concern for artists and technicians who faced mistreatment under the previous regime.“There is a whisper campaign going on against me stating that I have usurped Aroop Biswas’ Pallisree office. The fact is I pay rent now for using that office space for my work in Tollygunge,” she said.She further dismissed claims of charging for membership, noting that the organization is a registered non-profit and she does not hold the title of president. “The Confederation does not have a president now. Whatever I am doing is on humanitarian grounds. I have seen how qualified and veteran actors and directors have been ill-treated in Tollywood during Swarup’s regime. Lakhs were charged to get memberships. I want to set that record straight,” she added.Technicians are eagerly waiting for more clarity on this issue. Production controller Jayanta Kundu, who is a member of the advisory panel formed by the govt, said, “There is a lot of confusion. I urge the govt to immediately call a meeting of the advisory panel members to sort out the confusion. Biswas’s term concluded in Dec 2025 and he is now in police custody. Federation is left without a guardian now. I support investigations into any specific allegations against members but that does not invalidate the Federation at all.“He added, “I have won the elections and am the head of the production managers’ guild. Therefore, I didn’t consider becoming a member of the Confederation. Unfortunately, some producers are leveraging this leadership vacuum to delay payments. All that need to be addressed soon.”
