New Delhi: A political storm exploded within the Bengal BJP after senior leader and former state president Dilip Ghosh attended the inauguration of the Jagannath Dham temple in Digha and met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with his wife. His presence in the incident and praise for the TMC supremo has led to strong reactions within the BJP, now Swapan Dasgupta has called the move “betrayal”.
Dasgupta wrote on X, “The resentment of the ground level BJP Bengal workers on this clear betrayal by the former state president is very deaf to ignore the national leadership.”
The controversy comes at a time when the BJP is actively trying to push Mamata Banerjee in one corner of Murshidabad communal violence. Ghosh attended the temple program on Wednesday and later spoke with Banerjee, the pictures and videos have been widely shared on social media.
On the other hand, the Leader of the Opposition Suavendu Adhikari completely left the program, instead instead of addressing a religious gathering in Conty, a few kilometers from Digha. Sukanta Mazumdar, the head of Bengal BJP, drove the party away from Ghosh’s actions, a “personal decision” that the party did not support.
Ghosh, who visited the temple with his wife, said that there was no party instructions, and even if there was there, he did not follow it. He said, “I like to visit temples, and the party cannot stop me from paying tribute to Lord Jagannath. Even if there was a whip, I do not pay attention to it,” he said. He also described the invitation of the state government as “respect” and said that the visit of the temple was part of Hindu cultural life.
In contrast, Majumdar pointed to recent violence in Murshidabad, saying that the BJP had decided not to participate in the opening of the temple collectively in protest. The officer refused to comment on Ghosh directly, saying that he responds to Mamata Banerjee’s comments or actions.
The deviation in the approach has criticized some party leaders, including MP Sumitra Khan, who resorted to social media to attack Ghosh’s decision. Now Swapan Dasgupta has also joined the chorus against Ghosh.
