Sukanta seeks blessings from Dilip, begins stint as minister
Times of India | 12 June 2024
Kolkata: Junior Union minister Sukanta Majumdar, who was given charge of education and development of north eastern region, joined office on Tuesday after seeking blessings from former Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh. Majumdar later held a meeting of the development of north eastern region ministry.
Majumdar went to meet Ghosh on Tuesday morning. Posting a photograph on X, the minister wrote: “Sought blessings from senior BJP leader Shri Dilip Ghosh today before taking charge as MoS Education in the Modi Govt 3.0.Feeling grateful and committed to working towards realising PM Modi’s vision for the education sector.”
Ghosh, now in New Delhi, had been instrumental in picking Majumdar as BJP’s candidate in Balurghat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Majumdar was later chosen as president of the state unit, replacing Ghosh. The Balurghat MP had heaped praise on his senior, calling him the “most successful Bengal BJP chief”.
However, differences of opinion cropped up later, with Ghosh criticising the state brass for “keeping party veterans on the sidelines”. During the panchayat polls in 2022, he called Majumdar “inexperienced and new” and said he preferred “experienced veterans”. As Ghosh found his Muralidhar Sen Lane office lacking an air conditioner and cable TV connection, he commented that “change was the only constant”. The former Midnapore MP also slammed the move to change his constituency to Burdwan-Durgapur in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Majumdar on Tuesday tried to bury the hatchet.
Majumdar, who was a botany professor and had a long association with academics, said he had to assess the needs of the education sector. “I have been a teacher, but running a ministry is different. (Education minister) Dharmendra Pradhan has vast experience and we will work towards realising Modiji’s vision,” he said.
Calling the corruption cases in Bengal “unfortunate”, Majumdar said: “The former education minister is in jail now. The scams in the education system in the state have put us all to shame.”