KOLKATA: Intraparty discontent in BJP over TMC leaders joining the saffron party has surfaced as the old foot-soldiers and a section of functionaries are against the inclusion of the faces who used to be their arch rivals just a few days ago.
Clashes between the old party workers and newcomers took place in West Midnapore and Durgapur in the past 24 hours. Posters opposing the decision of welcoming TMC defectors were seen in many places.
A ruckus broke out in Durgapur on Tuesday where TMC supporters were scheduled to join the BJP in presence of the party state president Dilip Ghosh. The two groups attacked each other with plastic chairs and engaged in a fisticuff. A similar incident had also taken place in Narayangarh (West Midnapore).
The discontent among the party workers has become visible after former TMC strongman Suvendu Adhikari joined the saffron camp along with six MLAs of the ruling party and their followers in presence of Shah on December 19 in Midnapore.
"A week ago, we fought tooth and nail battle with the TMC leaders and their followers. Our party has become strong with the support of those electorates who were aggrieved by the ruling party’s atrocities. I now find the TMC workers who hurled bombs at my house roaming with BJP flags. How can we share stage and party offices with our tormentors?" asked a local BJP leader in Durgapur.
Ghosh, however, said the BJP’s only goal is to dethrone TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s government. "In other states, our party accepted defectors from other parties and won the elections. A similar practice is followed in Bengal. Party’s leadership will take the final call before including anyone in the party. If anyone has any objection, that can be discussed in the party meeting. But expressing discontent publicly is not acceptable," he said.
On Wednesday, the party show-caused women wing president Agnimitra Paul and two functionaries of Alipuduar district for issuing statements opposing the entry of two TMC’s elected representatives. Paul opposed TMC MLA Jitendra Tiwari’s possibility of induction in the party in the presence of Union minister Babul Supriyo and BJP’s general secretary Sayantan Basu.
The state vice president of the party Pratap Bandopadhyay served Basu a show-cause letter asking him to explain why did he make statements opposing Tiwary’s possible entry. BJP sources said the party high-command will also talk to Supriyo in this regard.