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Resentment grows in Bengal BJP over promotion of former TMC minister Rajib Banerjee
On January 30, days after he resigned from the cabinet and the TMC, Banerjee drew attention when he and a team of turncoat legislators under his leadership were flown to Delhi in a chartered plane so that they could join the BJP at the residence of Union home minister Amit Shah.
The induction of former Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister Rajib Banerjee in the national executive committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday has triggered strong resentment in the party’s Bengal unit.
Several state office-bearers told HT on Friday that they were “shocked” and “surprised” by the national leadership’s decision because Banerjee not only criticised the BJP’s opposition to Mamata Banerjee but distanced himself from the party after his defeat at the Domjur assembly seat in Howrah in the March-April polls. Banerjee had won the seat twice since 2011 when the TMC came to power for the first time.
On January 30, days after he resigned from the cabinet and the TMC, Banerjee drew attention when he and a team of turncoat legislators under his leadership were flown to Delhi in a chartered plane so that they could join the BJP at the residence of Union home minister Amit Shah. The special privilege, which no other TMC leader has enjoyed till now, made bigger news than the shift in allegiance which was anticipated.
Similarly, Banerjee drew media attention when he carried home a large photograph of Mamata Banerjee while vacating his chamber at the state assembly. He even broke down after tendering his resignation as minister to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
“I cannot figure out what prompted our leaders to promote a man who wrote social media posts questioning our strong stand against the chief minister. Although the BJP made no demand for imposition of President’s Rule in Bengal, Rajib went out of his way and said in public that such a step would be suicidal. The media lapped it up,” said a senior BJP leader who did not want to be named.
Another leader, a state general secretary, said, “After losing the Domjur seat by more than 40,000 votes, Rajib completely cut himself off. He has skipped meetings and avoided public events. We have been reliably informed by TMC insiders that he is trying to make a comeback. Our workers in Howrah are furious since yesterday. Similar feedback has come from other districts as well.”
A newly-elected BJP legislator said, “Unlike TMC leaders and workers who were driven by conviction and switched sides before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in which the BJP set a record by winning 18 of the state’s 42 seats, Banerjee is perceived as one of those who looked for an opportunity, thinking the BJP might come to power.”
Speculations over Banerjee’s return to the ruling party started in June when he paid a surprise visit to the residence of TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh. Both described it as a courtesy call.
“Whether it is Rajib Banerjee or any other former TMC leader, the decision to welcome someone back is taken only by our topmost leaders. We have no separate policy for anyone,” Ghosh told HT on Friday, hinting that it is Mamata Banerjee who takes the call.
Rajib Banerjee could not be contacted despite several efforts but his associates said even if he tries hard, returning to the ruling party will not be easy.
“Banerjee’s strained relationship with minister Arup Roy, the TMC’s most heavyweight leader from Howrah, is widely known. In July last year, their tussle caused an embarrassment for the party when the chief minister was leading a rectification drive,” said a TMC leader from Howrah who is known to be close to Rajib Banerjee.
“Rajib alleged before the media that corrupt mid-level leaders were being shielded by the district leadership. His target was Roy who was then the district unit president. Roy, who shares a good rapport with the chief minister, will vehemently oppose Banerjee’s comeback,” the leader said.
During the March-April poll campaign the former forest minister also raised allegations of nepotism against TMC leaders involved in distribution of compensation for people whose homes were damaged by Cyclone Amphan in May 2020. This, TMC leaders said, did not go down well with the party’s rank and file.
Among the 11 Bengal BJP leaders inducted in the national executive committee are actor Mithun Chakraborty, Rajya Sabha members Swapan Dasgupta and Rupa Ganguly, former Rajya Sabha member Dinesh Trivedi, national vice-president Dilip Ghosh, former Union minister of state Debasree Chaudhuri and minority front leader Mafuja Khatun.
Mukul Roy, who was made a national vice-president of the BJP before he returned to the TMC in June, was taken into the national executive committee after he joined the saffron camp in 2017.
