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Speculations rife on role allotment in Bengal BJP after meetings in Delhi, Kolkata
While BJP national general secretary and the party’s in-charge of West Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya met the party’s national executive member Mukul Roy in Kolkata, the Bengal unit chief Dilip Ghosh met party president JP Nadda in Delhi
Two back-to-back meetings of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi and Kolkata on Sunday within hours of each other, led to speculations that the party’s central leadership may re-allot organizational roles to some leaders in its West Bengal unit for the crucial 2021 assembly polls.
BJP national general secretary and the party’s in-charge of West Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya flew down to Kolkata on Sunday and met Mukul Roy, the national executive member who was put in the charge of the Lok Sabha election in 2019.
On the other hand, Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh flew to Delhi and met party president JP Nadda on Sunday night. “Nadda Ji wanted to meet me,” said Ghosh while Roy did not take calls.
The meeting between Vijayvargiya and Roy led to speculations that the BJP central leadership may find a new role for Roy who is known to be disgruntled at not being given a higher post in the state unit during the recent organizational changes.
“Roy expressed his unhappiness before central leaders such as national joint general secretary Shivprakash during his last visit to Delhi. It is an open secret in the party that he and Ghosh have differences on issues relating to accepting defectors from Trinamool Congress (to which Roy belonged) and selection of candidates during elections. Roy feels that he should be given more independence for handling the 2021 elections. In our organizational structure such decisions largely depend on the state president,” said a Bengal BJP vice-president who did not want to be identified.
Another vice-president, who is known to be close to Ghosh, said, “One should not read too much into this meeting. Vijayvargiya did not get the opportunity or time to come to Bengal since March this year. He will be staying for three days and hold several meetings.”
Before meeting Nadda in Delhi, Ghosh dismissed speculations that he had been called to explain some of his public statements and organizational decisions.
“Dilip Ghosh always bats on the front foot. I am president of the state unit for four and a half years now and during my leadership the party won 18 (of 42) Lok Sabha seats in Bengal. I was elected president once again after the polls. BJP does not change leaders at random. As far as I know, Mukul Roy was with the BJP and still is with the BJP. Our party allots roles according to a leader’s capability. I think some people are spreading rumours with vested interest,” said Ghosh while talking to reporters before meeting Nadda.
BJP leaders in Bengal said Nadda and Ghosh discussed some important issues relating to the coming elections for more than one and half hours. The party did not make any official statement.
