By Tirthankar Mitra
KOLKATA: The goal of the national leadership of BJP to attain majority in Rajya Sabha to enable it to pass Bills is eroding its credibility in West Bengal at a time when the first saffron state government is firmly in the saddle. Things have gone from bad to worse after some senior BJP leaders accused their party to be not unlike from Trinamool Congress flinging charges of extortion at it.
The trouble in the state saffron camp can be traced to the decision of nominating three deserters from the TMC to the Rajya Sabha. The dissenting voices in the state BJP pointed out to the earlier contention of state party chief Samik Bhattacharya that his party won’t be a “washing machine” for entrants from the other political outfits.
Bhattacharya was referring to the practise of leaders with corruption charges being readily accepted in the erstwhile ruling dispensation of the state, the Trinamool Congress. The entry into TMC led to the charges against these leaders suddenly subsiding as if the political outfit is a washing machine removing all stains and blots of corruption.
The trio who resigned as Rajya Sabha members representing TMC are Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Deb and Prakash Chik Baraik Within hours of their leaving Trinamool, they were inducted into BJP and it announced that the troika would be it’s nominees in the Upper House.
It sparked questions in the political circles especially the saffron camp. After all, state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya had made it clear after TMC lost that the party’s doors in the state would be closed to Trinamool leaders.
Both Bhattacharya and chief minister, Subhendu Adhikari accompanied the trio during the nomination process. It conveyed a loud and clear message that the top BJP leadership fully supported the inclusion of the trio and their nomination to the Rajya Sabha.
Fissures widened into cracks in the state BJP leadership over this issue. State panchayat .minister, Dilip Ghosh said the induction of trio in the Rajya Sabha would help the party and added that they had no criminal records.
But in keeping with his record of being a loose cannon, Ghosh pointed out a former Trinamool leader is now the chief minister of the state. Indeed Adhikari held several key portfolios in TMC government before he switched over to the BJP.
The BJP has grown with the induction of capable leaders from other political outfits. This gives rise to the real politic in the BJP which involves distinguishing “good TMC” and “bad TMC”.
The practice can be traced to chief minister Subhendu Adhikari stating in the Assembly that there are no charges against TMC’s Ballygunge legislator, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay. who has a clean image. On the other hand, he stated in the Assembly that the approval plan of a godown in Taratala area had former mayor Firad Hakim’s signature; it collapsed leading to several deaths.
Union minister of state for education, Sukanta Majumdar has accused Baraik of cattle and sand smuggling. Majumdar, a former state BJP chief and Baraik are both from north Bengal.
Meanwhile, the situation has caught Bhattacharya, the present state chief, between a rock and a hard place. Supporting the nominations, he said extraordinary circumstances have led to their induction and nomination to the Rajya Sabha of the former TMC leaders.
Seeing that he can no longer claim high moral grounds, Bhattacharya sought to drive a wedge in his critics ranks and said defending himself that some “new sympathisers” of BJP have surfaced ever since it has come to power in the state. But the sentiments of genuine party activists will certainly be taken into consideration, he added seeking to walk a middle path.
The Rajya Sabha election is scheduled to be held on July 24 and given the strong numerical majority of the BJP, the trio will have a smooth passage to the Rajya Sabha. Yet resentment is rife in the state BJP at the moment.
The possibility of cross voting is unlikely. But state BJP leaders requesting anonymity are stating that there being enough capable candidates in the party, the inclusion of the turncoats was unnecessary.
If the resentment about inducting TMC detectors has been simmering under the surface, corruption charges have marred the image of the state saffron camp. Indeed the party has been caught in a pincer attack of intra-party resentment over Rajya Sabha nomination and corruption charges levelled by some of its senior leaders.
Not mincing his words, BJP MLA from Padabeshwar, Jitendra Tiwari has stated that the rowdyism of some of his party workers in the past few months have exceeded the same of goons enjoying TMC patronage over the past 15 years. Tiwari, an old hand in the BJP has switched sides from TMC years ago.
Some of the leaders who once sought funds from .me are raising huge amounts through extortion, he alleged. His contention has been supported by local TMC leader V Shibdasan Dasu who said that Tiwari, a senior leader has rightly focussed on the corruption issue.
Tiwari ‘s charges found further support after state urban development minister, Agnimitra Paul. In her Facebook handle called upon the people not to give any money when it was asked in her name. She requested to inform her of the incident on her personal number.
Two senior leaders accusing a section of the party rank and file of extortion puts the state BJP in a poor light. With just two months of governance, this was the last thing the party expected when it was undergoing an internal churning on the issue of giving Rajya Sabha nomination to Trinamool deserters.
Charges levelled by both Tiwari and Paul have led to watering down of chief minister, Adhikari’s stern warning to extortionists. In fact, it has reduced credence BJP’s poll pledge ” bhoynoibhorsha” (it is assurance not fear).
The accusations would have been lethal propaganda material for the Opposition. But a faction ridden Trinamool and numerically insignificant Congress and CPI(M) are not in a position to go with all their guns blazing for the BJP, a saving grace for the saffron camp. (IPA Service)
