Dilip Ghosh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice president, on Thursday hit back his former party colleague and new minister in the West Bengal government Babul Supriyo for accusing the Centre of not inducting a Bengali as a cabinet minister in the last eight years.
Ghosh, who is an MP from Medinipur, questioned Supriyo's performance during his eight-year tenure as a minister in the Narendra Modi-led cabinet and said that there is no point playing the "Bengali card", reported news agency ANI.
"The BJP is a party with discipline. People are allotted positions based on their capabilities. The workers of the party are happy with it. People from Bengal have been the president, speaker; it just needs the capability. I think Babul Supriyo is good only for the minister in the state," he said.
Ghosh asked, "He was a Bengali and he had been a cabinet minister for seven years, how did he perform as the minister? Everybody knows about his performance. So there is no point playing the 'Bengali card'. The Bengalis have to hang their heads in shame today. It is only because of the TMC."
Singer-turned politician Babul Supriyo, who quit the BJP to the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, was among nine leaders sworn in as ministers in the West Bengal government on Wednesday. Supriyo hit out at the BJP accusing the party of "betraying" the Bengali people.
{{/usCountry}}Singer-turned politician Babul Supriyo, who quit the BJP to the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, was among nine leaders sworn in as ministers in the West Bengal government on Wednesday. Supriyo hit out at the BJP accusing the party of "betraying" the Bengali people.
{{/usCountry}}Ghosh said Supriyo did not make such statements when he was a minister at the Centre. "Such a statement had not come when he was the minister at the Centre. Why make such statements? Everything was alright for him then. He left the BJP as he was removed from the ministerial post," Ghosh said.
Supriyo had thanked Banerjee and said that his second innings as a minister would be better than the first.
"I could dare to switch sides which is better than being a scapegoat. My second innings as a minister will be better than the first. Why did not a Bengali become a cabinet minister in the past eight years at the Centre? The BJP cannot put allegations against me, because it itself is in most of the state because of the poaching of MLAs," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)