Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who, as a Calcutta High Court judge repeatedly hauled up Trinamool Congress Government for its alleged corruption, today formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party two days after resigning from the Bench.
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, councillor Sajal Ghosh and other leaders reached Gangopadhyay’s residence at Kolkata’s Salt Lake in the morning to escort him to the party office. Their vehicles stopped metres away from the office, and Gangopadhyay was showered with flower petals amid sloganeering as he walked towards his destination.
He was inducted into the BJP in the presence of the party’s West Bengal chief Sukanta Majumdar, leader of the Opposition in the legislative assembly Suvendu Adhikari.
“Today, I start a new journey. I have joined a national party where great men like Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are the leaders,” Gangopadhyay said at a news conference following his induction. “Our primary target is to ensure a great fight in the Lok Sabha polls so that the corrupt TMC doesn’t return [to power in Bengal] in 2026. It is important for the BJP to come to power in Bengal. I will try my best to shoulder whatever responsibility the party will give me”. he added.
“Our prime objective is to remove a corrupt Government from Bengal and ensure that the foundation for its ouster is made in this Lok Sabha polls. It pains me to see that Bengal is continuously going backwards. There is a need for the BJP to come to power in Bengal. There is a need to put up a serious fight against the State Government,” he added.
After inducting Roy into the party, Sukanta Majumdar said: “Today, it is a historic moment in Bengal politics. Former Justice of Calcutta High Court Abhijit Gangopadhyay joined our party today. Although officially he is no longer a justice, in people’s hearts and minds, he will always remain a judge who has always provided justice to them. In the days to come, he will be made to take part in electoral politics”.
There are rumours that the BJP may field Gangopadhyay at the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat, which is currently held by the Trinamool Congress’s Dibyendu Adhikari, who is the brother of Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP’s leader of the Opposition.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said: “He never compromised and fought for the rights of the people, especially for the youth and job seekers. We welcome him to the party. In today’s political scenario in Bengal, there is a need to have a person like him. Before joining our party today, he took blessings from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. With him in the party, we feel that the real parivartan (change) will come in Bengal”.
A BJP source claimed Gangopadhyay’s image aligned with Prime Minister Modi’s core idea of eradication of corruption. “At a time when we are trying to expose Mamata Banerjee and her party as corrupt, Justice Gangopadhyay’s entry will surely give our campaign the necessary boost,” the source said.
Gangopadhyay is the third person in Bengal to be inducted into the BJP in the past week, after Congressman Koustav Bagchi and former Trinamool Congress MLA Tapas Roy, who is known for his honest image.
Meanwhile, to counter the BJP’s induction spree, the Trinamool Congress today got on board the saffron party’s Ranaghat South MLA Mukut Mani Adhikari. He is a Matua community leader and popular in his area. Adhikari is likely to be fielded by the Trinamool Congress from the Ranaghat Lok Sabha seat. The BJP has re-nominated incumbent MP Jagannath Sarkar from Ranaghat, which is thought to have prompted Adhikari’s exit.