RSS rejig: Ramapada Paul to look after Bengal unit, Pradip Joshi removed

KOLKATA: Pradip Joshi, senior RSS leader who used to look after the party's eastern India unit including Bengal, was removed from the post at a meeting of the party held in Chitrakote on Sunday. Ramapada Paul will now look after Bengal and eastern India. Jaladhar Mahat will be the joint 'Khetra Pracharak' for Kolkata while Prasanta Bhatto has been made the 'Pranta Pracharak' of south Bengal. The changes have been announced by Dattatreya Hosabale, general secretary of RSS.

It was learnt that the BJP's old guards in Bengal did not like Joshi's hobnobbing with the Trinamool turncoats who had joined the party ahead of last state polls. Because of his tacit support, the turncoats had been getting importance in the organisation. The anti Joshi lobby became active after BJP's poll debacle. They demanded his removal from the post.

Political experts said in the next few days major organisational changes would take place in state BJP. They said the central BJP leaders had realized that not only the state leaders had failed to run the party, the information they had provided about the party's support base was far from reality.