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NDTV
2 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"West Bengal Is Suffering Because Of Trinamool's Misrule": PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally at the industrial township of Durgapur in West Burdwan district on Friday. On Thursday evening, the Prime Minister issued two statements, which he posted on his official X account, indicating the subjects he would touch on during his speech at the public rally on Friday. "West Bengal is suffering due to TMC misrule. People are seeing the BJP with hope and are convinced that only the BJP can deliver on development. Tomorrow, July 18, I will be addressing a @BJPBengal rally in Durgapur. Do join!" PM Modi said in a statement on X. West Bengal is suffering due to TMC misrule. People are seeing the BJP with hope and are convinced that only the BJP can deliver on development. Tomorrow, 18th July, will be addressing a @BJP4Bengal rally in Durgapur. Do join! — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 17, 2025 At the same time, the Prime Minister, in another statement on X, had made it clear that his visit to West Bengal was not just "politically-intended" but also for administrative reasons for inaugurating several Central projects in the state. "Looking forward to being among the people of West Bengal tomorrow, July 18. At a programme in Durgapur, will lay the foundation stones for various works and also inaugurate projects worth over Rs 5,000 crore. The projects cover sectors like oil and gas, power, railways, roads," PM Modi said in another statement on X. As per the schedule, the Prime Minister will arrive at Andal Airport at around 2:35 pm and from there he will reach the meeting venue at 3 p.m. There are two stages at the meeting venue, one for the administrative programme of the Prime Minister, where different projects will be inaugurated virtually, and the other for his political programme. The timing for the administrative programme has been scheduled between 3 and 3:30 p.m., and that for the political programme between 3:45 and 4:15 p.m. PM Modi is scheduled to take the return flight from Andal to Delhi at 5 pm (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP set to name Shamik Bhattacharya as West Bengal president
With the 2026 assembly elections approaching, BJP Bengal is set to announce Shamik Bhattacharya as its new West Bengal President, succeeding Sukant Majumdar. Bhattacharya's nomination was the only valid submission, confirmed after scrutiny. The announcement will be made by central leader Ravi Shankar Prasad at a ceremony in Science City, marking the culmination of internal party deliberations. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Kolkata: With less than a year to go for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections , the BJP's Bengal unit is set to announce its new state president on Thursday, following the nomination process on Wednesday.'There has been only one nomination, and no other submission was made. Each nomination must be seconded by at least ten members. The only nomination received is that of Shamik Bhattacharya . The name of the new state president will be officially announced tomorrow by senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad,' said outgoing state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar during his final press conference in the a professor of botany and two-time MP from Balurghat, took over as state president in September 2021, succeeding Dilip the transition as a 'relay race' where the baton must be passed on, Majumdar said: 'I've seen both the best and the worst of times during my tenure — and I welcomed both. The highlight was winning the Balurghat seat for the second time in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.'This week, amid intense lobbying, internal deliberations, and factional negotiations, the nomination process was completed. BJP MLA and returning officer Deepak Barman issued a formal notification for the election to the party, the nomination, scrutiny, and withdrawal phases were completed on Wednesday, and the final candidate list will be released at 6 p.m. However, several party leaders indicated the process was largely a formality, with the central leadership having already selected a consensus sources confirmed that BJP Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya is the consensus pick. His recent formal visit to BJP national president J.P. Nadda's residence in Delhi on Monday fueled further speculation.'The election and felicitation ceremony for the new state president will be held at Science City tomorrow, where the names of the State Council members will also be announced in the presence of State Election Officer Ravi Shankar Prasad,' BJP sources of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari also confirmed the impending announcement. 'The name of the new state president will be declared tomorrow. We are preparing to fight the 2026 assembly polls,' he the Sangathan Parv of BJP West Bengal reached its final stage on Wednesday. In the concluding phase, 60 karyakartas submitted their nominations at the party's state headquarters to become members of the National Council. All nominations were accepted, party sources said.
Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh's visit to CM Mamata's temple inauguration triggers party rift
Former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh's visit to the Jagannath Temple in Digha and his brief meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has triggered a rift within the West Bengal BJP, which had been pushing a strong Hindutva agenda ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in 2026. Instead of criticising Banerjee's decision to build a Jagannath temple in Digha, BJP leaders now find themselves defending Ghosh's presence at the event, where he visited the temple with his newlywed wife Rinku Majumder and briefly exchanged pleasantries with Banerjee. 'What you have done is big work,' Ghosh told the Chief Minister. News later emerged that the state government had officially invited Ghosh to the inauguration. However, the party was reportedly unaware of his visit. A senior TMC leader present at the temple said, 'The Chief Minister was planning to leave the temple. Suddenly, news came that Ghosh is coming. She returned to welcome him.' BJP state president Sukanta Majumder was the first to react: 'Whether Dilip Ghosh attends or not is his personal choice. The party does not endorse it, especially when Hindus have been targeted in Murshidabad… Attending would suggest their plight is being ignored. The party collectively decided to boycott the event.' Ghosh hit back, saying he did not need anyone's permission to visit a temple. 'Those who want to criticise will criticise. I've visited the jyotirlingas, Char Dham and other pilgrim centres. This is a huge temple near my house. We can't visit Puri all the time, so I took darshan here. Like me, crores and crores of devotees will come… Who built it or inaugurated it will be forgotten.' Following Majumder's remarks, other BJP veterans also spoke out. Former state president Tathagata Roy said, 'Many are saying this is not political. How can one say that! I am a political leader, but I went with my wife at the invitation of my main opponent, then spent some time there secretly having various kinds of fun. Then I came and told the media, this is a courtesy! Would you believe it? Of course not, because you don't believe in fairy tales. But whoever said that? He thinks he's the only smart one in West Bengal, and everyone else is stupid!' Swapan Dasgupta said, 'The outrage among grassroots BJP Bengal workers at this apparent betrayal by a former state president is too deafening for the national leadership to ignore.' Unfazed, Ghosh continued his counterattack. 'Whenever I speak to the Chief Minister, it is respectful and courteous. There was no closed-door meeting. It was a courtesy meeting as I was invited for the inauguration,' he said. 'I have not done anything against party policy. Have you heard the party gave a boycott call?' he asked. 'Those teaching me about BJP, discipline and Hindutva — look at their history over the last five to ten years. What have they done for BJP, Hindutva or the country? Whatever the party asked of me, I delivered. If needed again, I will do it.' Ghosh also indirectly questioned Adhikari's leadership. 'When I was president, BJP won 18 Lok Sabha seats and 77 assembly seats. Now we have 12 Lok Sabha MPs and only 70 MLAs. Where did the others go? Why are MPs, MLAs, Zilla Parishad members leaving the party? Why is the party declining since I left the post?' he asked. A senior BJP leader conceded, 'What Dilip Ghosh is saying isn't wrong, but the timing is against us. For the first time in Bengal's history, after the fall of the Hasina government and attacks on Hindus, Hindu sentiment is rising. But this internal debate could hurt our momentum.' The very next day, Ghosh faced backlash from local party workers in Kolaghat and had to retreat from a public event. Rejecting the idea that personal ties must be sacrificed for politics, Ghosh said, 'If in my neighbourhood, a TMC leader's son is getting married, should I not attend just because he's from TMC? I don't believe in that kind of politics. Those trying to make this BJP's culture don't know the party. They don't know me or my sacrifices. Those who joined in 2021 won't understand this.' He continued, 'Some are busy teaching RSS, some Hindutva. Don't teach me Hindutva. If you cut my veins, you'll find Hindutva and BJP's blood running through them. I don't know what runs in others, because they've come after hopping from one party to another.' Responding to jibes such as 'Bhogi' and 'Tyagi', Ghosh said, 'Those who marry four times, keep 14 girlfriends, and live one life during the day and another at night are calling me Tyagi and Bhogi? I've always been on the ground and will continue to be. I don't have a double face.' TMC has been quick to seize on the internal discord. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh posted on X, 'Dilip Ghosh's roar overshadowed the roar of the sea in Digha. He washed away a section of the BJP.' A senior BJP leader summed up the party's current challenge: 'The BJP is now searching for a new wave of Hindutva to contain this debate. Otherwise, it could ruin our chances in the 2026 assembly elections.' Meanwhile, many BJP leaders are awaiting the reaction of Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari.
The Hindu
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP's Dilip Ghosh rejects speculations of joining TMC after meeting Bengal CM Mamata at Digha Jagannath temple
Rejecting speculations of joining the TMC, former West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Thursday (May 1, 2025) said he went to the newly-built Jagannath temple in Digha on the day of its consecration as he was officially invited by the government and his party did not bar anyone from visiting it. Mr. Ghosh, along with his newly-married wife Rinku Majumdar, visited the temple, built by the TMC government, on Wednesday and met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, triggering speculations that he may jump ship ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. "Our party did not ask us to skip the invitation. I have been invited, and that is the reason I have come here. I have got the guts to do so," Mr. Ghosh told reporters during the morning with his wife at the Digha sea beach. "Why do lakhs of people go to the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the Kashi Viswanath temple in Varanasi? Even Mamata Banerjee had asked her party leaders not to go to Kumbh Mela, but there were many who went. Have they committed any crime? Do you know who built the Kalighat and Dakshineswar temples? It is not important who built the temple, people go because god is worshipped there," he added. Asked about the speculations of joining the TMC, Mr. Ghosh shot back, "Why should I?" "I am not having a bad time. I have not changed in the last 10 years, I have not changed my party like many others who switch sides whenever there is an election. Dilip Ghosh does not need to change sides," he said. Mr. Ghosh's visit to the temple and subsequent meeting with Ms. Banerjee, a part of which was live-streamed on the CM's Facebook page, raised several eyebrows, with BJP leaders not hiding their anguish. Sharing a photo of the meeting between Mr. Ghosh and Ms. Banerjee, senior BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta said in a post on X, "The outrage among grassroots BJP Bengal workers at this apparent betrayal by a former state president is too deafening for the national leadership to ignore." Mr. Ghosh, the former MP of Kharagpur, tackled the criticisms nonchalantly. "People keep on talking about Dilip Ghosh. Even if they talk negatively, that works as an advertisement for me," he said. State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said the party did not endorse the visit. "It's Dilip Ghosh's personal choice. But the party doesn't endorse the visit. Many of our MLAs were invited, but nobody visited due to the atrocities against Hindus in various places of the state," he said. Asked about the visit, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said, "I don't want to talk about him."
