BJP should shed ‘excess fat’, says Dilip, snipes at ‘netas coming from outside’
Times of India | 24 December 2024
12 Kolkata: BJP's state unit needs to shed "excess fat", said former Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, who has started taking more active roles in the activities of the party.
"Excess fat causes problems in the body. It is the same with a political party like BJP. However, now BJP is shedding its fat," Ghosh said, adding that there were "political compulsions" that weighed the party down. "A system needs to be developed within the party. Perhaps it needs to be linked with ideals. Netas coming from outside need to be utilised and they should be placed in suitable positions. Otherwise, the fat will increase," he added.
Ghosh was replaced by Sukanta Majumdar as state BJP president after 2021 assembly election, in which BJP won 77 seats. "The road from 3 to 77 was not easy. Which party has achieved such results in any state? Our achievement is in how far we have come," he said.
Ghosh's increasing presence at party functions during BJP's membership drive in the state is being seen as a mark of BJP's trust in the veteran neta. Ghosh is now often seen accompanied by former party functionaries like Sayantan Basu and Raju Banerjee, once key members of his team.
Speaking on Suvendu Adhikari's role in the party, Ghosh said: "We have given him due respect and placed him in a suitable position. We hope he will use his abilities for the party's work. Netas even bigger than him have joined the party. Many have come from CPM. Those who joined BJP from other political parties do not understand the culture and needs of BJP. The sooner they learn, the better for them."
Bengal BJP seniors have faced questions from top leadership after the membership drive fell short of the target set by Union home minister Amit Shah. "We set big goals. We worked with big goals and made the party big," Ghosh said.
Asked about the possibility of former state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury joining BJP, Ghosh said, "I don't know where Adhir will go or if the party will take him. Losing doesn't mean one has to join our party."
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