Infighting in West Bengal BJP comes to the fore amid party chief JP Nadda's state visit

Kolkata: In the midst of the ongoing visit by BJP national president J P Nadda, who arrived here on a two-day visit to West Bengal to hold organisational meetings, infighting in the party's state unit came out in the open on Wednesday with its vice-president Raju Banerjee claiming that he was not invited to the state executive meeting.

Nadda's visit to West Bengal is significant as the state BJP unit, which is still licking its wounds after the defeat in the Assembly polls held in 2021, is plagued by infighting and exodus to the ruling Trinamool Congress. Several senior leaders are engaged in feuds on and off social media, leaving little time for the party's growth, said a PTI report. 

Banerjee claimed that he was neither informed nor invited to any of the meetings that Nadda is scheduled to hold with the state office bearers. 

"I have neither been informed nor received any invite for our national president J P Nadda Ji's programme. I don't know why. I will ask the party leadership why I was not invited," PTI quoted Banerjee as saying. 

Raju Banerjee is considered to be close to BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh, who was recently warned by the party's top brass for speaking against the state unit, 

Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha, however, stated that the matter would be looked into, adding "The state party vice-president should have been invited. Those in charge of organising the events will look into why he did not receive an invite."
 
Several party MLAs were not present at the state executive committee meeting held at the National Library and addressed by Nadda, said the report citing the state BJP sources. "Some of the MLAs and leaders have cited valid reasons. But some have not informed the party of their reason for not attending the meeting. We are looking into it," PTI quoted a senior state BJP leader.

The state unit has been fighting hard to keep its flock together after former union minister Babul Supriyo, party MP Arjun Singh and five legislators, including its national vice-president Mukul Roy, switched over to the TMC since the assembly poll results last year. 

Nadda visits Bankim Chattopadhyay's house 

The BJP national president on Wednesday paid his respects to nationalist icons Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay who penned 'Vande Mataram' and nationalist leader Rash Behari Bose even. 

Nadda visited Vande Mataram Bhavan in West Bengal's Hooghly district where Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay had penned the national song. He was accompanied by senior BJP leaders, including state president Sukanta Majumdar, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and party's national vice-president Dilip Ghosh to the heritage building in Chinsura town.

Later, he visited the Rashbehari Bose Research Institute at Chandannagore in the district, where the legendary freedom fighter who had founded the Indian National Army and later handed it over to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was educated.

Nadda lashes out at TMC govt over women's safety issues

The BJP supremo Jagat Prakash Nadda lashed out at the TMC government over the declining rate of women`s safety in the state and asserted that the BJP will form a government in the state very soon, while addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Kolkata on Wednesday.

"According to National Crime Records Bureau data, West Bengal reported an increase in the number of incidents of abduction of women in 2019. This means that most of the incidents related to the trafficking of women are happening in West Bengal. This is the condition of the state whose chief minister is a woman," ANI quoted him as saying.

He also attacked Congress saying, "Indian National Congress is neither Indian nor national. Its leaders talk to the workers from London. It has become a party of brother-sister," adding "40 years ago, my friends from Congress would say, Nadda ji, you do not understand politics. It is a matter of opportunity; you are the right person in the wrong party. Today, I want to ask them - who is in the right party?" 

"Nobody thought that Mulayam Singh`s (former UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav) rule will go away. Nobody thought we will be Congress Mukt. In fact, we are now Congress lupt (disappear). Let us be Congress mukt (free). We will soon form government in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh too," ANI quoted him as saying. 

Exuding confidence that the "future belongs to the BJP", Nadda vowed to defeat the TMC in the next elections, adding "In politics, there is nothing static, things change. The future belongs to the BJP. The TMC has no principles or policies, it has only syndicates."

(With PTI/ANI Inputs)