Suspended West Bengal BJP leaders' insights on party' functioning exposes cracks

Majumdar said that the top two leadership roles in the state unit are with people who have a cumulative political experience of less than five years

Two Bengal BJP leaders who were served temporary suspension by the party have raised serious allegations against the party’s local leadership. The move puts more pressure on the BJP Bengal unit that’s already facing dissent from the party MLAs representing Mathua community, who are angry at not having their adequate representation in the party's state affairs.

Jay Prakash Majumdar and Ritesh Tiwari, two former state vice presidents jointly addressed a press conference in Kolkata on Tuesday to share insights.

Majumdar, also a spokesperson for state BJP till he was suspended, alleged that after the 2019 election results, some leaders from the Centre and the state in the party were not keen on trusting the-then leadership. It was felt that people who brought 18 seats for BJP, short of halfway mark, could no longer be trusted. By 2021, this thought found wider ground. It was perceived that the BJP could cross over this chasm by having people from outside the state, and from other parties.

Read | 'Picnic politics' of rebel leaders keeping West Bengal BJP on tenterhooks

Majumdar said that after he joined the party (in 2014) he was also given the charge of ‘political analysis and feedback’, a department in state BJP, and to brief the central leadership on a regular basis. He pointed out that with this responsibility he had pointed out that such an approach is not an appropriate way and the party's structure should be trusted, but it was ignored and weakened. Outsiders - from other parties in state, and from other BJP state units were of no use, he felt.

The veteran leader also claimed that in a party meet a central organisational leader, a few months prior to state elections had claimed that BJP can win the state without involving leaders who were at the helm of state affairs. None among the state leaders dared to interact with the press on the day results were declared, and on the day when senior BJP leader Mukul Roy returned to his old party, the Trinamool Congress.

Majumdar claimed that Bengal’s politics is about fighting out the situation the on ground like Mamata does. Despite having lost seats, there was no discussion in the party, and in virtual meetings leaders willing to raise the issue were not allowed to speak, or their microphones were turned off by those handling the meeting. Instead of diagnosis, attempts were made to put everything under wraps, he claimed.

In a state with around 30 per cent Muslims, the state unit has failed to find even one face for any of the posts. The state’s minority morcha too has been assigned to a Christian candidate from minorities, whereas nationally, the party is conscious of this inclusiveness.

He added that the top two leadership roles in the state unit are with people who have a cumulative political experience of less than five years, and with this the intent is to fight with Mamata, who is considered a strategist and experienced, though she is an opponent.

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