KOLKATA: Hitting out at the TMC government, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh on Sunday alleged that an artificial potato crisis has been created in West Bengal by those patronised by the ruling party.
Expressing concern over the "sudden spurt in the price of the kitchen staple, now available at Rs 40 per kg, if not more", Ghosh said this has hurt the common people and pinched their pockets hard.
"Why is the price of potato so high? The crisis has been created artificially by those patronised by the ruling party. It has been created by those who take cut money for everything," Ghosh told reporters here.
"Similarly, prices of onions have been artificially raised to the discomfort of the common people," he added.
The BJP leader also said that a section of TMC members are unhappy with the way the party leadership has been functioning, and claimed that the "revolting" cadres are raising slogans such as 'PK Hatao TMC Bnachao' to protest against the ruling party's decision to hire election strategist Prashant Kishore's services before the 2021 Assembly polls.
On Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's upcoming visit to the districts, Ghosh said that, facing "dissent" within the party, she was trying to divert the people's attention with such programmes.
Asked if the BJP will be able to recover from the jolt it faced in the Hills, with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung severing ties with the NDA and joining the TMC camp, Ghosh said that he "betrayed" the people of Darjeeling.
"Gurung has betrayed the people of the Hills and the Binoy Tamang faction has no acceptability. The BJP, however, has all along stood by the people there. Our MP enjoys great popularity in the Hills," he said.
"TMC doesn't want peace in the Hills and hence there was turmoil in the past. Now, they are siding with Bimal Gurung. The people of the Hills will never accept the Trinamool Congress," Ghosh said.