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Bengal BJP expels Howrah unit chief after he challenges Suvendu Adhikari
Surajit Saha and Adhikari reportedly had an argument at the meeting which was convened at the state BJP headquarters to prepare for the polls. Although 25 leaders from Howrah were called, some were absent, party leaders said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expelled Surajit Saha, the Howrah central organisational unit president, on Wednesday afternoon, hours after he publicly questioned the honesty of Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, and refused to take orders from former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders.
Although the Bengal BJP has expelled quite a few district leaders since last year following allegations of infighting and indiscipline, Saha is the first who faced action for challenging Adhikari’s authority.
“Adhikari alleged at an internal meeting on Tuesday that we lost the assembly polls in Howrah district because a section of our leaders are secretly in touch with TMC leader Arup Roy. How can a person who joined the BJP six months ago make such allegations? He has to prove this or else apologise to all BJP workers in Howrah. Adhikari should first prove his own honesty because in the Narada sting videos he could be seen accepting money,” Saha told reporters on Wednesday.
Arup Roy, a cabinet minister, is the TMC’s most influential leader in Howrah.
Though an accused in the high-profile Narada case that the Central Bureau of Investigation is probing, Adhikari, who joined the saffron camp in December last year, has not been named in the charge sheet unlike some of his former cabinet colleagues.
The meeting Saha referred to was held hours after the state election commission agreed to the TMC government’s proposal to hold civic body elections in Howrah and Kolkata on December 19. Saha and Adhikari reportedly had an argument at the meeting which was convened at the state BJP headquarters to prepare for the polls. Although 25 leaders from Howrah were called, some were absent, party leaders said.
Saha claimed that Adhikari wanted former mayor of Howrah Corporation, Rathin Chakravarty, who joined the BJP in January, to be the chairman of the election committee. Saha protested against the idea.
“I said there are many efficient leaders and old-time workers in the BJP. We will not take orders from a former TMC leader against whom we brought charges of corruption in the Howrah municipal corporation. We do not want the BJP to turn into a B-team of the TMC,” said Saha.
“I worked for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and dedicated my life to the BJP. Nobody needs to lecture me on allegiance. I have not received the expulsion letter yet. An elected district president cannot be expelled like this. They have to first issue a show-cause letter. Even if I am expelled I will remain dedicated to the party,” Saha said on Wednesday afternoon.
The expulsion letter said Saha had breached discipline.
“At the behest of Dr Sukanta Majumdar, president of BJP, West Bengal, and member of Parliament you are hereby expelled from the party with immediate effect for breaching organizational discipline,” BJP state vice-president Pratap Banerjee wrote in the letter to Saha. It was released to the media at around 5 pm.
“Even if the discussions Saha is referring to take place, he cannot talk about this in public. He breached discipline,” said Majumdar.
Adhikari, who was in East Midnapore district’s Nandigram on Wednesday, did not want to comment on the controversy.
BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said the party will contest the Howrah civic polls with full strength.
