Dilip Ghosh admits his 'growing distance' with Bengal leadership of BJP

Kolkata, May 3 (IANS) BJP's former national vice president and the ex-chief of the party's West Bengal unit, Dilip Ghosh, who had recently been in the midst of controversy over attending the inauguration of the Lord Jagannath Temple at Digha in East Midnapore district much to the disapproval of the party, on Saturday admitted the growing distance between him and the party’s state leadership for quite some time.

Ghosh also spoke about his absence from the official programmes of the state unit of the BJP.

“Have I attended any official programme of the party for the last three years? I do not have any official schedule. I decide my own schedule. I attend social and religious functions. I attend several non-political programmes. I interact with the media daily,” Ghosh told mediapersons on Saturday.

Ghosh had been under criticism from his party colleagues after he attended the inauguration of the Digha temple on April 30 with his newly wedded wife Rinku Ghosh.

He was also spotted interacting cordially with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the inauguration programme, the videos and photographs of which went viral on social media.

Thereafter, he faced scathing criticism from his party colleagues, including elected MPs and MLAs, who accused him of 'compromising' with the Chief Minister.

Even the state BJP president and Union minister of State Sukanta Majumdar said that attending the inauguration program was Ghosh’s personal choice and the party was nowhere related to it.

“Those who have suddenly become sympathetic towards BJP will say a lot of things. They have the right to say. I do not want to react to what they say since I do not need anyone’s support. Those who have joined BJP from another party are making tall claims now,” Ghosh said on Saturday.

Although he did not name anybody, his clear target was the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, an erstwhile two-time Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member and also a former member of the Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet.

Adhikari switched to the BJP before the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Adhikari refused to give any reaction to the comments of Ghosh.

“For the last three days I have not made any comment about him, I will not comment today either. I will comment in the future also,” he said.

--IANS

src/