Bengal BJP's "Bold" Move That Drew Trinamool's "Copycat" Jibe
A rather unique flashpoint has emerged in Bengal politics with the warring BJP and Trinamool claiming credit for a move that signifies the importance of the party over its leadership. The change pertains to the Bengal BJP removing photos of its leaders from the media backdrop kept at their Kolkata headquarters.
While the shift was evident in the state BJP's latest press conference, the Trinamool claimed that it was their ideology throughout that had been hijacked by the BJP.
A video of the presser, addressed by Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya, was posted on the Bengal BJP's social media handles on July 5. It showed the backdrop with only the party's Lotus symbol and photos of its top leaders.
The backdrop will now feature only the BJP symbol and no leader's photograph, said a BJP leader, calling it a "powerful shift". But this is not just a design change, he said, pointing out that it reflects the party ideology: "Nation First, Party Second, Self Last."
He called it a true celebration of collective leadership, discipline, and values over personalities.
But the Trinamool has refused to accept that it is an original idea.
Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh has called the BJP a "copycat" and accused them of stealing the Trinamool's ideology of placing the party symbol at the highest pedestal.
"What Trinamool thinks today, others follow tomorrow. Party symbol is the highest point," he said in an online post, sharing screengrabs from the press conferences of the two political rivals.
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