‘Will never compromise with turncoat leaders who switched from other parties’

Kolkata: Former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh—who found himself at the spotlight after he along with his wife visited Jagannath Dham, in Digha and met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—reportedly met senior RSS leaders and stated that he would never “compromise” with the turncoat leaders of his party who switched from other parties.

Ghosh, who has frequently criticised the current state BJP leadership for the party’s political drubbings in Bengal polls, reportedly also clarified the circumstances under which he targeted the turncoat leaders within his party.

He also questioned whether there had been any directive against visiting the temple, insisting the BJP hadn’t boycotted it and emphasising that “temple politics” has always been part of the party’s journey, citing the initiation of Ram Navami rallies that, he claimed, even Mamata Banerjee later followed.

Many BJP leaders who had switched to the saffron camp from TMC attacked Ghosh after he visited the Jagannath Dham in Digha. No other senior BJP leader attended the Digha Dham’s inauguration.

But Ghosh visited the site shortly after the official inauguration ceremony, accompanied by his newly-wed wife.

During the visit, Ghosh met Mamata Banerjee, who welcomed the couple warmly in a brief, cordial exchange. Photos of the interaction quickly went viral, sparking unease within the BJP’s Bengal unit. State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar promptly distanced the party from the development, describing it as Ghosh’s “personal decision” and suggesting it was ill-timed, especially in light of the recent violence against Hindus in parts of the state, at a time when the BJP is aggressively asserting that Hindus are not safe in Bengal.

A claim that the ruling TMC in Bengal has strongly rejected, calling it a desperate attempt to stay politically relevant amid the party’s growing disconnect with the public in Bengal. TMC has repeatedly accused the BJP of misleading people by promoting a divisive brand of Hinduism that fuels communal discord and spreads hatred.

Meanwhile, Ghosh defended his temple visit, dismissing the criticism and hitting back at detractors both within and outside the party.

“There is no problem from my side. I don’t know who has a problem with it. I have always worked according to the party line. If someone has an issue, I am unaware of it,” Ghosh said.

“Did anyone say not to go? Was there any instruction not to visit the temple? Has the BJP officially boycotted it? That’s not possible. The party has always embraced temple politics — it’s part of our journey. We began the Ram Navami rallies. Mamata Banerjee had to follow us. This is our victory,” said Ghosh, who lost the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to TMC’s Kirti Azad by over 1 lakh votes from the Bardhaman-

Durgapur seat.