Dilip’s Digha visit: Party leaders discuss its implications
The Statesman | 3 May 2025
Former West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh has stirred the political cauldron once again, this time by visiting the Jagannath temple in Digha and paying a courtesy call on chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Sources close to Ghosh describe the move as a “strategic masterstroke” amid his growing marginalisation within the party. A seasoned RSS worker with over three decades of political experience, Ghosh appears to have subtly launched a political counter-offensive against state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari. The timing was symbolic: while Suvendu was holding a Sanatani rally in Contai – just miles away from Digha — as a counter to Mamata Banerjee’s inauguration of the Jagannath temple, Ghosh chose to pay his respects at the temple and meet the chief minister, sending what many see as a veiled message to his detractors. Speaking to reporters, Ghosh reaffirmed his commitment to the BJP, asserting, “I will remain a BJP worker till my last breath.” He also invoked the memory of around 250 BJP workers who, according to him, became martyrs during the party’s struggle in Bengal during Trinamul Congress tenure. “Their deaths demand political reckoning, and I will stay in the battlefield for that,” he said.
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In an indirect jibe at Suvendu Adhikari, Ghosh slammed recent entrants from Trinamul Congress, claiming that many of them were still secretly in touch with TMC. “I keep myself 100 yards away from such people. I do everything openly and on principle,” he remarked. Ghosh’s visit to the temple, he insisted, was a personal religious duty as a Hindu, and his meeting with Mamata Banerjee was an act of political courtesy.
But not everyone in the party is convinced. Critics within BJP questioned the timing and motive, especially when the state is grappling with volatile situations like the one in Murshidabad. Attacking Ghosh, BJP MP Soumitra Khan – a defector from TMC – criticised the move. In response, Ghosh hit back aimed at several leaders, including Arjun Singh and Sajal Ghosh. He also reminded the party that it was under his leadership that BJP won 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and 77 Assembly seats in the 2021 elections. His remark: “I won’t learn politics from those who came to BJP hiding under Mamata’s pallu” is widely seen as a dig at Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined BJP when Ghosh was the state president.
However, questions remain. If Ghosh had such strong reservations about Suvendu, why didn’t he oppose his induction into BJP back then? And if the 2019 victory was entirely his doing, why did home minister Amit Shah publicly credit Mukul Roy? Sources in the BJP suggest that the central leadership is not pleased with Ghosh’s latest manoeuvre. “Delhi is unlikely to reward this adventurism, especially since it goes against the emotional sentiments of party workers,” said a senior leader, indicating that Ghosh may have further alienated himself within the party hierarchy. Yet, Ghosh remains defiant.
Drawing a parallel with former Left leader Subhas Chakraborty, who had visited Tarapith, Ghosh said: “Those who practice independent and self-respecting politics lead the party. Chakraborty kept the Left alive. He brought lakhs of people to rallies. You have to see who teaches you to fight and who teaches you to win.” As the internal tussle within the Bengal BJP intensifies, one thing is clear: Dilip Ghosh is far from ready to fade into political irrelevance — and he’s willing to fight back, temple visits and all.