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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Punjab CM Mann meets President Murmu, seeks cancellation of membership of 6 RS members
Chandigarh (PTI): Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday met President Droupadi Murmu, demanding the termination of the membership of six Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab who defected to the BJP and also pressed for the introduction of a constitutional provision allowing for the recall of members.
Accompanied by party MLAs and ministers, Mann visited Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.
This meeting followed a significant setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on April 24, when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs -- Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- quit and merged with the BJP, alleging that the party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals. Six of the seven MPs who left AAP hailed from Punjab.
After he met with the President, Mann addressed the media here, describing the departure of the seven MPs as a "murder" of the Constitution. He stated, "Seven MPs merging with another party is completely unconstitutional. I spoke to Rashtrapati ji in detail."
Mann pointed out that he told the President that the BJP holds only two MLA seats (in Punjab), yet now has six MPs in the Rajya Sabha. He questioned, "How can this be possible? Isn't it a mockery of the Constitution?
"If they are such revolutionaries at heart, then they should have resigned from their six seats. The AAP could have sent someone else," Mann said, taking a swipe at them.
He emphasised the need for a recall provision in the Constitution, referencing MP Raghav Chadha's previous demands for such a measure when members fail to meet public expectations.
"Have you lived up to the expectations of the people?" Mann challenged the MPs during his statement.
Mann also presented a letter to the President, signed by all AAP MLAs. He differentiated between the terms 'elected' and 'selected,' stating, "They were 'selected.' Therefore, their membership should be cancelled."
The President assured Mann that she would consult constitutional experts before responding.
Earlier in the day, Mann, along with party MLAs, departed for Delhi from Chandigarh.
Speaking to reporters in Chandigarh, Mann affirmed that all AAP MLAs stand united with the party. "Only I have been given time for the meeting," Mann said.
"The President is the guardian of the Constitution. She is the constitutional head of the country," he added.
Later in a post on X in Hindi, Mann said, "Our struggle to protect Punjab's rights and interests continues. Today, along with all AAP MLAs, I have left to discuss Punjab's burning issues and present the state's strong voice before the President.
As your public servant, our government remains fully committed to Punjab's prosperity and the safeguarding of the rights of every section of society."
The MLAs and ministers gathered at the chief minister's residence in the morning before heading to Delhi, carrying placards that read 'Punjab Mann De Naal' and 'Punjab's Traitors.'
The legislators left for Delhi in buses.
Mann had previously sought an appointment with the President to meet with party MLAs and demand the "recall" of the Rajya Sabha MPs who defected to the BJP. However, only Mann was given a time slot for the meeting.
