BJP grew when I was Bengal chief, going down after touts joined: Dilip amid protest over Digha visit
Digha/ Kolaghat (WB), May 1 (PTI): Faced with protests from a section of BJP workers for visiting the Jagannath temple in Digha, senior leader Dilip Ghosh on Thursday said it was during his tenure as the state president that the party gained in strength in West Bengal and has been on a downward slide ever since "touts" have joined it.
Ghosh, along with his newly-married wife Rinku Majumdar, visited the temple, built by the TMC government, on Wednesday and met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, triggering speculations that he may jump ship ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
Even as he rejected the speculations, a section of BJP workers protested against him when he made a brief stopover at Kolaghat while returning to Kolkata from Digha.
Engaged in a war of words with the protestors, Ghosh said, "The BJP grew to its present stature in West Bengal when I was the state president. Over 250 BJP workers gave their lives to take the party to its present position. People trusted us, but that trust is steadily going down. Ever since touts have joined the party, it is on the downside."
"If you want to fight your enemies, then fight the good fight, don't do drama. I am not here to switch parties, but to change the politics of the state," he told the protesting party supporters.
Ghosh, who became the state BJP president in 2015, was removed from the post after the 2021 assembly elections.
Asked about the decision to visit the temple, he told reporters at the Digha sea beach in the morning, "Our party did not ask us to skip the invitation. I have been invited, and that is the reason I have come here. I have got the guts to do so."
"Why do lakhs of people go to the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the Kashi Viswanath temple in Varanasi? Even Mamata Banerjee had asked her party leaders not to go to Kumbh Mela, but there were many who went. Have they committed any crime? Do you know who built the Kalighat and Dakshineswar temples? It is not important who built the temple, people go because god is worshipped there," he added.
Asked about the speculations of joining the TMC, Ghosh shot back, "Why should I?"
"I am not having a bad time. I have not changed in the last 10 years, I have not changed my party like many others who switch sides whenever there is an election. Dilip Ghosh does not need to change sides," he said.
Ghosh's visit to the temple and subsequent meeting with Banerjee, a part of which was live-streamed on the CM's Facebook page, raised several eyebrows, with BJP leaders not hiding their anguish.
Sharing a photo of the meeting between Ghosh and Banerjee, senior BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta said in a post on X, "The outrage among grassroots BJP Bengal workers at this apparent betrayal by a former state president is too deafening for the national leadership to ignore."
On the criticisms, the former Kharagpur MP, who lost the last Lok Sabha elections against TMC's Kirti Azad in the Bardhaman-Durgapur seat, said, "People keep on talking about Dilip Ghosh. Even if they talk negatively, that works as an advertisement for me."
State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said the party did not endorse his visit.
"It's Dilip Ghosh's personal choice. But the party doesn't endorse the visit. Many of our MLAs were invited, but nobody visited due to the atrocities against Hindus in various places of the state," he said.
Asked about the visit, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said, "I don't want to talk about him."
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Teen killed in alleged honour killing over inter-community relationship, brother, his friend arrest
Manesar, Haryana: Police have arrested two men in connection with the sexual assault and murder of a 19-year-old woman in what investigators describe as a case of honour killing linked to her relationship with a man from another community.
According to the police, the crime was allegedly planned by the woman’s 28-year-old brother. He had sought the help of his 30-year-old friend to carry out the killing and the friend is accused of raping the young woman before murdering her.
The family, originally from Etah and Agra districts of Uttar Pradesh, had been living in Manesar, Haryana, for nearly six years, as reported by Hindustan Times. Police said tensions escalated after the brother discovered that his sister was in a relationship with a 24-year-old man from another community and intended to marry him. Opposed to the relationship, he sent her back to their family home in Etah on November 15.
The woman returned to Manesar on November 22 and began living with her partner. Assistant Commissioner of Police Virender Saini said this prompted the brother to plan killing her. Acting on his directions, the co-accused contacted the woman, posing as someone willing to help her elope and marry her partner.
Trusting him, the woman agreed to meet near Rampura Chowk on the night of December 10 and instead of assisting her, the accused allegedly took her to a secluded area in Gwalior. Police said she was sexually assaulted there and, when she resisted, was beaten and later strangled with her scarf. Her body was subsequently concealed under debris in a field.
Following the murder, both men fled to their native places. During the initial investigation, the brother allegedly tried to divert suspicion towards the woman’s boyfriend, who was briefly detained. He was later released after evidence established that the brother and his friend were present at the crime scene.
Police said the brother later confessed during questioning, while the co-accused acknowledged to the rape and murder. A case has been filed under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for murder, criminal conspiracy, and common intent. Officials stated that forensic evidence, such as DNA analysis, post-mortem discoveries, and medical tests, will be utilized to support the charges.
