KOLKATA: Days after BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said Sukanta Majumdar, who succeeded him as the party's West Bengal unit president, is relatively new for his post, the incumbent state chief on Sunday asserted that none becomes seasoned overnight.
Majumdar, the MP of Balurghat in north Bengal, said that every person is new when appointed to a post and Ghosh was no exception when he became the state party president for the first time in 2015.
Ghosh, however, struck a conciliatory note during the day saying he had meant that being new for the post, Majumdar will be able to impart a fresh approach and give a dynamic leadership to the state BJP.
Majumdar, who had declined to comment initially, said: "Dilipda is a senior leader, but let me point out that when someone first takes over, he is new to the post. None becomes experienced overnight."
"When Dilip-da had been appointed as the state BJP head, he was relatively new. It happens to every occupant of every post," he told reporters to a question.
Ghosh had said on Thursday that Majumdar should take everyone along and the party should work as a united force to be able to fight against the alleged misrule of the Trinamool Congress.
"Sukanta Majumdar is comparatively new; it is quite obvious that he is taking time to adjust," he had said.
His comments were preceded by the party's recent debacle in by-polls in the state, following which several senior BJP members hit out at the state unit leadership for allegedly failing to identify the "lacunae" plaguing the party.
However, Ghosh said on Sunday: "what I meant was Sukanta Majumdar being a fresh face helming the BJP in West Bengal will be able to give a new thrust to the fight against the Trinamool Congress."
"Everyone has his own style of functioning. I am ready to extend all cooperation to Sukanta. We have been working in unison," he told reporters.
Majumdar replaced Ghosh as the state party unit chief in September 2021, months after the BJP faced an electoral drubbing in the assembly election.
However, Ghosh became the national vice-president then.
The party also did not fare well in later elections and its internal bickering came to the fore.
TMC candidate Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha defeated the BJP's Agnimitra Paul by over 3,00,000 votes in the Asansol Lok Sabha by-election.
Former Union minister Babul Supriyo, who quit the BJP to join the TMC last year, clinched the Ballygunge assembly seat in Kolkata in a by-poll, beating his nearest CPI(M) rival by 20,228 votes.
The BJP came third there.