BJP workers on warpath against Bengal leadership

Barely months before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in which the BJP central leaders have set a tall target of 26 seats for West Bengal, the frustration among party workers was on public display as hundreds of BJP workers convened outside the party’s headquarters here on Thursday, decrying the current state of the organisation and accusing the leadership of neglecting long-time members in favour of newcomers.

Demonstrators alleged that the party leaders were in league with the Trinamool Congress to weaken the party in the state. Protesters, bearing party flags and chanting slogans against state leaders, including state president Sukanta Majumdar and state general secretary (organization) Amitabha Chakraborty, and Amit Malviya, the National IT head and sah-prabhari for West Bengal, expressed frustration over the dominance of members who had joined the BJP from other political affiliations.

The party workers demanded that the Central leadership order CBI and ED investigations against the leaders. Days before Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to reach Kolkata to inaugurate a few Durga Pujas, the public show of anger is sure to embarrass the party state leadership.

The unseemly scenes outside the BJP’s long-time headquarters in Murali Dhar Lane in Central Kolkata included party members tearing down and stamping on photographs of the three leaders. They protested against the sidelining of loyal party veterans while new entrants garnered significant positions within the state and district leadership.

Former party state president Dilip Ghosh accepted that party members were unhappy and said: “It is indeed sad that members feel that they are not getting a patient hearing from the party leadership. It is the duty of the leaders to listen and understand why the party’s backbone—its members—were unhappy and take necessary action.”

Acknowledging the brewing discontent, Samik Bhattacharya, the BJP’s state spokesperson, affirmed the issue’s significance. He said: “It is an issue of concern. But we will address the concerns of our party workers. There might be grievances, and we will strive to address them.

The Trinamool Congress was quick to seize the opportunity to criticize the BJP, characterizing the internal protests as indicative of the turmoil within the state’s primary opposition party. Trinamool Congress MP Santanu Sen said: “The BJP has turned into a circus party in West Bengal. Protests and infighting have become commonplace within the Bengal BJP unit. BJP now stands for Bharatiya Joker Party.”

Over the past year, the BJP in Bengal has been grappling with internal strife and protests, primarily stemming from organizational changes implemented across various parts of the state. Protests against the party leadership had been taking place in West Bengal over the past three months.

Last month, Union Minister and Bankura BJP MP Subhas Sarkar found himself confined within a party office in the Bankura district, as party members accused him of side-lining long-time members. The BJP leadership has pledged to address these concerns and mitigate the discord within the party.