Differences in the West Bengal BJP came to the fore on Saturday over the elevation of Mukul Roy to the post of national vice-president. Mr. Roy, considered one of the founding members of the Trinamool Congress, quit the party in October 2017 and joined the BJP.
Mr. Roy was a member of the national executive of the party and his elevation is seen as an attempt to placate him before the 2021 Assembly polls . Over the past few months, speculation was rife about his role and differences with other leaders of the Bengal BJP.
Mr. Roy said he along with State party president Dilip Ghosh will ensure the victory for the BJP in the 2021 Assembly polls.
However, senior BJP leader and former president of the State unit Rahul Sinha seemed extremely upset with being left out. “I have served the BJP for 40 years. I have been a soldier of the party from its founding days, but now leaders from the TMC are coming and taking our post. There cannot be anything more painful than that,” Mr. Sinha said.
The BJP leader did not specify whether he will remain in the party or not but said he will announce his next move in the next 10-12 days. Before Mr. Ghosh was appointed Bengal BJP president in 2015, Mr. Sinha was one of the most important leaders of Bengal. Following Mr. Ghosh’s appointment as Bengal chief, Mr. Sinha was appointed national secretary.
The State unit of the BJP has been grappling with the issue of how much importance should the leaders who joined the party defecting from the Trinamool Congress be given. The old party loyalists have been raising concerns over such leaders getting more importance.
