Rift inside state BJP unit as workers protest against reshuffle in lower rung

Kolkata: A rift in the state unit of the BJP has become apparent after a reshuffle of positions in the lower rung of the party following the panchayat election debacle.

Protests from within the party have come to light after the top leadership made some changes at the block level. Such is the tension that the party insiders feel that if the situation is not handled in time then there are high chances of lower rund workers deserting the party before the Lok Sabha polls next year.

It is learnt that the blame for poor performance in the recently concluded rural election is being put on the lower rung leaders by the top leadership.

On the contrary, the lower-rung leaders blamed the top leadership for not being able to formulate a sound strategy to fight the rural election.

One of the BJP workers, without revealing his name, said that the party performed badly in the rural polls because the top leadership failed to recognise the need of rural areas and things which ought to have been highlighted during the campaign.

The worker said that while the BJP carried out an anti-TMC campaign, it failed to realise that the Centre’s decision to freeze MGNREGA funds and that of PM Awas Yojana has irked people in the rural areas.

It was shared that during campaigning in rural areas, people were asking the saffron brigade workers about when they will receive their wages since the Centre is holding onto the funds.

The top BJP leadership is learnt to have asked the state leaders to intervene and sort out the problems.

Followers of certain block presidents have been agitating after the sudden removal from posts. One such district is Hooghly where several block presidents were removed. Agitations were also observed outside the BJP’s party office in Salt Lake.