KOLKATA: Bengal BJP made major organisational changes on Monday shunting out Chandra Bose, grandnephew of Subhas Chandra Bose who had gone against party line on several issues in the last few months. The party leadership included new faces and turncoats as office bearers and in-charges of party’s different wings.
Bose was one of the 12 vice presidents of BJP’s Bengal unit but his name was not in the latest list announced by the party president Dilip Ghosh on Monday. He has not been given any post in the organisation.
Sources in Bengal BJP said the party’s state leadership were miffed because of Bose’s activities. On different issues, right from BJP’s aggressive stance on CAA issue to migrants’ plight triggered by lockdown, Bose expressed his concern on his Twitter handle.
"Politics between the Centre & the States, put #MigrantWorkers at a complete loss. Horrific visuals of migrants walking for miles to reach home, getting runover by trains & buses! This is not expected from any Govt which is of the people by the people, for the people!" Bose tweeted on May 14.
When contacted, Bose said no one discussed with him about the reshuffle. "I follow Netaji’s ideology. If anyone goes against it, I will raise my voice. I believe in inclusive politics, not divisive. I am very much in the party,’’ he said, adding, "Vice president is an ornamental post in the party. I asked the party’s leadership in Bengal a few months ago to give me responsibilities so that I could play active role."
Arjun Singh, the MP from Barrackpore who defected from Trinamool Congress, and former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh, who contested from Ghatal Lok Sabha seat and gave a tough fight to Trinamool’s candidate, have been appointed as vice presidents. Mafuza Khatoon, who defected from CPI(M), have also been promoted as vice president. Sabyasachi Dutta, the former mayor of Bidhannagar municipality and Trinamool Congress MLA who joined BJP last year, has been included as one of the party’s state secretariat members.
BJP MP from Hooghly Locket Chatterjee has been made one of the general secretaries and fashion designer Agnimitra Paul has been given the post of women morcha’s president. Khogen Murmu, who was 40 years in the CPI(M) before his defection to the BJP, has been made the party’s scheduled caste morcha president.