Bengal BJP frets as, after wedding bells, temple bells for Dilip Ghosh at Mamata event

The state government later clarified that it had officially invited Ghosh to the inauguration – Banerjee is known to have good relations with him – though the BJP maintains it was unaware of the same.

Ghosh was also seen exchanging pleasantries with Banerjee. As per a senior leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress who was present, “The CM was about to leave when news came that Ghosh is coming. She returned to welcome him.”

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar was the first to criticise Ghosh, saying: “Whether he attends an event or not is his personal choice. The party does not endorse it, especially when Hindus have been targeted in Murshidabad (during the recent violence)… Attending would suggest their plight is being ignored. The party collectively decided to boycott the event.”

Amid reports circulating that his temple meeting with Banerjee was a precursor to Ghosh joining the TMC, Ghosh hit back, saying he did not need anyone’s permission to visit a temple and that his meeting with the CM was out of “courtesy” and did not happen in secrecy. “Those who want to criticise will criticise. I’ve visited jyotirlingas, Char Dham and other pilgrim centres. The Digha temple is near my house. We can’t visit Puri (Jagannath Temple) all the time, so I took darshan here. Like me, crores and crores of devotees will come… Who built it or inaugurated it will be forgotten.”

A long-time RSS leader who didn’t mince words as BJP state chief, Ghosh has his share of enemies in the party, and has been virtually sidelined since he stepped down. The 60-year-old’s recent wedding had also caused some stir within party ranks.

Following Sukanta Majumdar’s remarks, other BJP veterans spoke out. Former state president Tathagata Roy said, “Many are saying this is not political. How can one say that! I am a political leader, but I went with my wife at the invitation of my main opponent, then spent some time there… Then I came and told the media, this is a courtesy! Would you believe it? Of course not.”

Roy, who often lands in trouble for his remarks, added: “He (Ghosh) thinks he’s the only smart one in West Bengal, and everyone else is stupid.”

Swapan Dasgupta, who is more guarded in his remarks, also criticised Ghosh. “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.”

The day after the temple was inaugurated, angry party workers in Kolaghat forced Ghosh to withdraw from a public event.

An unfazed Ghosh has continued his counterattack. “I have not done anything against party policy. Have you heard the party give a boycott call? Those teaching me about the BJP, discipline and Hindutva… look at their history over the last five to ten years. What have they done for BJP, Hindutva or the country? Whatever the party asked of me, I delivered. If needed again, I will do it.”

Ghosh also indirectly questioned the current leadership, saying: “When I was president, the BJP won 18 Lok Sabha seats and 77 Assembly seats. Now we have 12 Lok Sabha MPs and only 70 MLAs. Where did the others go?”

Rejecting the idea that personal ties must be sacrificed for politics, Ghosh said, “If in my neighbourhood, a TMC leader’s son is getting married, should I not attend just because he is from the TMC? I don’t believe in that kind of politics. Those trying to make this the BJP’s culture, don’t know the party.” In a swipe at new entrants into the BJP, such as Suvendu Adhikari, he added: “Those who joined in 2021 won’t understand this.”

A senior BJP leader conceded that what Ghosh was saying was not entirely wrong, but questioned the timing. “For the first time in Bengal’s history… Hindu sentiment is rising and Hindus are uniting across the state. But this internal debate could hurt our momentum,” the leader said, adding that they hoped to corner the government both over the Murshidabad violence and the crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh that had led to an influx of refugees, mostly Hindus, into Bengal.

A delighted TMC has been quick to seize on the BJP’s discord. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh posted on X, “Dilip Ghosh’s roar overshadowed the roar of the sea in Digha. He washed away a section of the BJP.”