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At meeting, Bengal BJP leaders told about district leaders, workers staying away after poll defeat
A sizeable section of district leaders and workers are skipping party meetings and events, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state and central leaders were told at an internal meeting held in Kolkata on Monday to review organizational strength after the March-April assembly polls, HT has learnt
A sizeable section of district leaders and workers are skipping party meetings and events, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state and central leaders were told at an internal meeting held in Kolkata on Monday to review organizational strength after the March-April assembly polls, HT has learnt.
The feedback was given by BJP units in South 24 Parganas and Kolkata where the party could not win any seat. A number of mandal committee (local unit) presidents were absent from the closed-door meeting, BJP leaders said on condition of anonymity.
This was the first review meeting. It was attended by the BJP’s national joint general secretary (organisation) Shivprakash, Bengal state president Dilip Ghosh and state general secretary (organisation) Amitava Chakraborty. More meetings will be held in the coming weeks.
“The party wants to review its organizational strength since polls in around a hundred civic bodies will be held in the coming months. The feedback we received was not encouraging. While some people did not attend, those who did, said footfall at meetings and public events has gone down after the poll results were announced on May 2,” said a state BJP leader who did not want to be named.
“Fear of reprisal from Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers was cited as one of the reasons for absenteeism. The district unit leaders also admitted that many people who left the TMC and switched sides prior to the polls are feeling disillusioned. Mandal committee presidents from South 24 Parganas and Kolkata said workers were unhappy with the selection of candidates in several constituencies. They complained that their opinions were not taken into account,” said a second BJP leader.
“Although Shivprakash and the state leaders could not work out an instant solution, the district leaders were told to register their grievances. They were given a phone number and an e-mail address. Shivprakash assured them that the national election committee would be apprised of the situation,” the BJP leader added.
Dilip Ghosh said after the meeting that the district leaders were also told to co-operate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which has been asked by the Calcutta high court to probe the charges of post-poll violence.
BJP leader and lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal said she is touring the districts to record more complaints. “On Monday, several complaints were lodged at Dantan, Ghatal and Belda police stations in West Midnapore district,” she said.
