Kolkata, Jan 25 (PTI): The infighting in Bengal BJP deepened on Tuesday with suspended BJP leader Jaiprakash Majumdar slamming the party leadership for undermining “old-timers” and giving more prominence to new-comers, while lauding chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s “street fighter” capabilities.
Majumdar, who along with Ritesh Tiwari, was suspended for allegedly violating party discipline, hit out at the state leadership accusing it of compromising with Trinamool Congress and having a tacit understanding with Prashant Kirshor-run consultancy I-PAC.
“Old-timers and seasoned leaders have no place in the state unit. Leaders from others parties, agents of the TMC, are now calling the shots.
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“The BJP faced defeat in the assembly polls as leaders were running it from other states, (who) vanished after the defeat. At present, too, the BJP is being run by a few outsiders. This will prove to be fatal for the BJP in the state,” Majumdar said while addressing a press conference along with Tiwari.
At the same time in the course of the press meet, Majumdar lauded Banerjee as a “street fighter” and said the state BJP depended more on “running to courts” on every issue rather than organizing street protests against the TMC.
Both the leaders were show-caused on Sunday and were temporarily suspended from the party till the investigations against them were over.
The two leaders had participated in a meeting convened by union minister Shantanu Thakur, an influential leader of the sizeable Matua community in the state, over a week ago in Kolkata.
They were present when Thakur, the union minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways, castigated a section of the state leaders. Discontent had been brewing ever since the state leadership had omitted several Matua leaders from various sub-committees.
The Union minister had held a picnic with several disgruntled BJP leaders in his Bongaon constituency a few days ago.
The two senior BJP leaders, who were dropped from the new office bearers committee last year, were on Sunday issued a show-cause notice by the state unit. Both were vice-presidents of the state unit in the previous committee, and Majumdar was named one of the spokespersons in the new state committee announced a month ago. Tiwari was not included in the committee.
“I would like to know under which rule of the party constitution, both of us were suspended. This is not only unethical but also violates the party discipline,” he said.
While reacting to the allegations, West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said the party is not bound to inform Majumdar under which rule the action was taken against the duo.
“There is no such rule in the party constitution which forces us to inform them under which rule action was taken. Secondly, all the steps have been taken following the party rules and regulations,” he said.
