Dilip Ghosh denies rumours of joining TMC

KOLKATA: Rubbishing all allegations of joining TMC, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Monday at a party programme in Kharagpur said that he is with BJP, as there were speculations in the media that he might join TMC.

Ghosh claimed his workers as 24 carat gold which has resulted in strengthening their party in Bengal and they will work together to fight TMC from Bengal in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha election in 2026.

Countering Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee statement on July 21 that BJP unleashing linguistic terrorism on Bengali speaking communities, Ghosh said that they are for Bengali speaking communities and they raise both slogans Jai Hanuman and Joy Ma Kali just to respect every citizens of India.

It may be mentioned that chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the July 21 rally on Monday sharpened her ‘Bengali asmita’ (pride) pitch ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls. She accused the BJP of unleashing “linguistic terrorism” on Bengalis, asserting that the fight for identity and language will continue till the saffron party is defeated, both in the state and at the Centre.

The programme at Kharagpur, christened “Shahid Shraddhajanjali Sabha” (tribute to Martyrs’ programme), is perceived as a counter to the Trinamool Congress annual Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata on the same day.

Incidentally, the BJP will also be organising a similar rally at Siliguri of Darjeeling district in North Bengal on Monday against the rising incidents of crime against women in West Bengal, which is also perceived to be a counter-rally to the Trinamool Congress’s annual Martyrs’ Day rally.

At the Siliguri rally, the principal speaker will be the West Bengal Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari.

“More than 250 BJP workers have been killed by Trinamool Congress-backed goons in West Bengal since the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. We have paid tribute to them at the Kharagpur rally.