KOLKATA: BJP’s internal "discontent" became prominent in public on Friday after posters reading ‘GO BACK’ mocking Kailash Vijayvargiya as the "TMC setting master" were found in front of the party’s state headquarters in the city and the party election office in Hastings.
Similar posters were also seen beside the roads leading to Kolkata airport as the saffron camp’s national general secretary is scheduled to visit the state capital in a few days.
The displeasure among the party functionaries started emerging after its national vice-president Mukul Roy returned to the ruling Trinamool Congress last week. A section of BJP’s Bengal functionaries expressed their discontent over Vijayvargiya’s "active" role to induct Roy in the BJP in 2017 and his effort to elevate the TMC’s former second-in-command in the party hierarchy.
"Roy used to be known for his close proximity to Vijayvargiya. The leader from Madhya Pradesh is now facing the wrath of our party functionaries because Roy’s breach of trust. Even a section of leaders is now expressing their doubt about Roy’s loyalty to BJP when he was in the party. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee praise for him (Roy) while addressing election rally is now strengthening the doubt. Many think Roy was in touch with TMC high-command even after he was elevated to the post of the party’s national vice president," said a BJP leader.
While addressing a rally in Nandigram before the Assembly elections, Mamata has said Mukul was far better than Suvendu Adhikari -- the former TMC leader who joined BJP and defeated her in the East Midnapore constituency.
Roy’s departure also triggered the fear of disintegration in the BJP as many functionaries and workers had followed his footprint in 2017 and shifted their political allegiance to the saffron camp from the ruling TMC. "Most of the grassroots leaders now want to return to their old party. It was Vijayvargiya who had convinced the party’s high command to welcome all of Roy’s followers who were inducted since 2017," said another BJP leader.
BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh too did not hide his evaluation about Roy after the most talked-about defection since the Assembly elections. "TMC performed impressively without him (Roy) in the Assembly elections. We failed to perform well despite having him at the party. So, his defection will not cause any damage to us," he said.