Former West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh has received a letter from the party’s headquarters in Delhi, drawing attention to his support for comments that have “caused embarrassment” to the central leadership.
In April, Mr. Ghosh, now the BJP’s national vice-president, publicly criticized his successor Sukanta Majumder’s handling of party affairs in the state, where the party lost elections to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress last year.
“Sukant Majumdar is much less experienced. The political party has been fighting for a long time and there are experienced veterans…they must be fielded to fight in the state,” Mr Ghosh told reporters.
In a letter sent to Mr Ghosh using BJP headquarters in-charge Arun Singh, the party reminded the Bengal chief that he had earlier been informed to refrain from making controversial comments, “hoping you take note.”
Mr. Ghosh, the letter shows, no longer accepted the party’s earlier suggestions.
“[In] recent interviews, your comments on digital media and perhaps other boards have been openly radical to senior officials in the country. Such a reaction will only tarnish and harm the birthday celebrations and negate your own hard work in the past,” the BJP said in a letter to Mr Ghosh.
“Though your commitment to the party has been absolute, there have been some avoidable incidents when some of your statements or outbursts have irritated the national party leaders and also embarrassed the central leadership,” the letter said.
“BJP’s national leadership is deeply involved in releasing such statements through the media… At the behest of National [Party] President Shri JP Nadda ji, I would like to convey to you the deep pain of the party… I really hope you will appreciate the sensitivity of the situation, Especially in West Bengal, and … continue to be more prudent in your dealings with the media or any public forum,” the BJP headquarters in-charge said in the letter.
The BJP had set a target of winning at least 200 seats in the early 2021 Bengal assembly elections. However, the party did not do well, and many of its leaders eventually defected from Mamata Banerjee’s political party to the BJP before the elections. He returned to the Trinamool Congress.
