Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh walks on streets with 'damru' to 'awaken people'

Kolkata: Senior West Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Thursday morning walked on the streets of Durgapur city with a 'damru' as a symbolic act to "awaken people".

His act comes amid Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya's election as the new state BJP president, with no other candidate filing nomination for the post till the deadline on Wednesday.

When asked about the 'damru' (hand drum), the former Lok Sabha MP said, "It's Shravan month... Lord Shiva beats the damru to awaken everybody. We too are trying to awaken people, given the current situation." He, however, did not elaborate on what he meant by "current situation".

Reacting to Bhattacharya's election as the new state party chief, he said, "The party appoints those it deems suitable. He is an educated person who speaks and debates well, and has held important posts in the party earlier..

Ghosh was a former BJP state chief but now largely remains absent from major functions of the party, including rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Ghosh, along with his wife Rinku Majumdar, had visited Digha's Jagannath temple, built by the TMC government, on April 30 and met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, triggering speculations that he may jump ship ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.

He, however, rejected the speculations, stating that he received an official invitation from the government and his party did not bar anyone from visiting it.