JOIN USWest Bengal Elections: BJP has become victim of political violence, says Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh
Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh tells DH’s Soumya Das that the reason Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stood from Nandigram was because she felt she could bank on the constituency’s 30% Muslim votes. Ghosh also said that the Citizenship Amendment Act is definitely an issue in the Assembly elections.
How hopeful are you of BJP coming to power for the first time ever in Bengal?
Since the birth of Jan Sangh and then the BJP, the party has expanded across the country. Syamaprasad Mookerjee started the party (Jan Sangh) but after him, there was no new leadership in Bengal. Following Partition, there was a lot of social and economic instability in West Bengal and Congress and Communists capitalised on it. At that time, Jan Sangh, and then the BJP, could not flourish in Bengal. But in other states, the BJP rapidly expanded and came to power. Even after coming to power at the Centre, it was unable to grow in Bengal. We were unable to adapt to the political culture of Bengal.
The political culture of Bengal is different from that of other states. Perhaps we tried to use the tactics of other states here and did not succeed despite having capable leaders in Bengal. But in the last five years, we capitalised on the success of our government at the Centre and the hard work of party workers in the state, along with Amit Shah’s strategic leadership, and that has brought us to a stage where we are a strong contender for power in Bengal.
Violence is one of the ‘features’ of politics in Bengal. How are you dealing with it?
Violence has become a part of politics in Bengal because of the Communists. But agitation-oriented politics is widely accepted in Bengal and we have got considerable success since we adapted that brand of politics. We have also become victims of political violence. We have lost 136 party workers to political violence. During elections, the common people fear violence. We have seen how women in villages are welcoming the central forces jawans with flowers. They are thinking that with the arrival of the central forces, they will be able to cast their votes freely. During the Lok Sabha elections, there was no violence elsewhere in the country but in Bengal, there was violence and deaths.
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The BJP and other opposition parties have informed the Election Commission about political violence. They have taken it seriously and central forces were deployed in Bengal a month ahead of the start of elections. I think this election will be peaceful and the Election Commission will remain alert.
What do you think of Mamata Banerjee’s decision to contest from Nandigram against Suvendu Adhikari, instead of her current seat, Bhabanipur?
Suvendu has won earlier in Nandigram, both as an MLA and as an MP. He was the main leader of the Nandigram land agitation. The people of Nandigram are with him. He is always in Nandigram whereas Mamata Banerjee goes there once in five years. I think she decided to contest from Nandigram thinking that the credit for the land agitation goes to her and people will support her and Trinamool Congress (TMC). She wanted to capitalise on it. Another major reason is the 30% Muslim vote in Nandigram, which her party used to get as a bloc. Perhaps those are the only votes she is going to get in Nandigram. It is not the case in Bhabanipur, and hence she decided to contest from Nandigram.
What are the BJP’s key issues in these elections?
Our key issue is comprehensive development in Bengal, just like the way we have done in the rest of the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bengal is lagging in terms of democracy, education and industry. We want to change the situation and make it ‘Sonar Bangla’ (Golden Bengal).
Earlier, BJP was very vocal about CAA and NRC. Is it still an issue this election?
The CAA will definitely be our issue in the Assembly elections because we have passed the CAA in Parliament. Moreover, 50% of the people who came from Bangladesh are yet to become legal citizens of India. We have promised and will provide them Indian citizenship.
The Bill has been passed and the process is yet to be completed. The NRC started in Assam under the instruction of Supreme Court, and it has been implemented by our government. First, Bengal needs the CAA. If that gets done, then 50% of the work will be complete.
Will the Indian Secular Front (ISF) joining hands with the Left-Congress alliance pose a challenge for BJP?
Last time, people rejected the Left-Congress alliance, and from the 30% vote in the 2016 Assembly election, the Left-Congress alliance came down to 13% in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. No-one knows about the future of this so-called front. Their (ISF) leaders have never been in politics. I don’t think it will have much impact.
How much impact will TMC leaders who have joined BJP have on the election outcome?
Leaders such as Suvendu and Rajib Banerjee are influential in their areas. We will benefit from their joining BJP. There was a lack of experienced, successful people in Bengal. So, we will benefit from such leaders joining our party. Apart from TMC, experienced leaders from Congress and CPI(M) have also joined BJP.
What is your take on the alleged attack on Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram?
TMC has no other issues. Despite being in power for 10 years, they failed to do anything for the people. They are just trying to create an issue and get sympathy votes. People know it’s a drama.
So, who’s going to be CM if BJP comes to power?
It will be decided by the central leadership. The leaders and workers in Bengal are fighting to bring change in Bengal. People trusted BJP and blessed us in the Lok Sabha elections. They also want change in Bengal. Our responsibility is to ensure that BJP gets 200 seats in the state.