The dissent brewing in the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to the fore on January 15 when Union Minister and Bongaon BJP MP Santanu Thakur along with two former party vice-presidents made public utterances against the functioning of the party and demanded the removal of a key functionary.
Mr. Thakur, a prominent Matua leader, targeted general secretary organisation Amitava Chakraborty and said that if required he along with other leaders would launch a massive protest till he was removed from the key post. The Bongaon MP was accompanied by former vice-president Joy Prakash Majumdar and Ritesh Tiwari.
Usually dissent in the BJP is against the Chief Minister, the State president, the Leader of Opposition but this a rare occasion when leaders are upset with a general secretary, organisation, whose responsibility is to take everyone along.
“One particular leader whose name I don’t want to take is trying to exert undue influence and trying to control all appointments in the committees,” Mr. Thakur said. A few days ago, the prominent Matua leader had exited from different groups of the West Bengal BJP. A number of Matua MLAs from Bongaon had also come out in support of the Bongaon MP.
“We will not allow one particular person to destroy the West Bengal BJP. If required, we will organise a protest on the issue,” Mr. Thakur said.
BJP president J.P. Nadda had reached out to Mr. Thakur. Earlier this week, the West Bengal BJP dissolved all its cell and departments because of the ongoing dissent.
Another disgruntled BJP leader told The Hindu that the general secretary, organisation, under the present disposition was removing all those who helped the BJP to grow from “4 % vote share to 40 % in past two decades”.
“There is also a slander campaign against those who are raising their voice,” the BJP leader said.
BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said that there was a process to air differences in the party and the leaders should do that. Mr. Bhattacharya said that there was no dissent in the State BJP.
