Posters Against Bengal BJP Leader At Party Office As Rift Widens

Amid the ongoing rumblings in the West Bengal BJP unit following the formation of the new state office bearers committee, posters describing its general secretary (organisation) Amitava Chakraborty a "Trinamool Congress agent" were seen outside party offices in various parts of the city.

Disgruntled BJP leaders who had openly spoken against the state leadership after being dropped from the committee went for a picnic at Gopalnagar in North 24 Parganas district.

The posters with photographs of Chakraborty were seen outside the state BJP headquarters at Central Avenue and in other parts of the city. "A TMC agent" and "He should be sacked" were written on those posters which were later removed by BJP activists.

"The TMC is responsible for it. They are trying to create confusion among us," BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh termed the allegation baseless.

"The BJP in West Bengal is going through an inner struggle. In the BJP, a clash is going on between the old-timers and newcomers. This incident is a result of it," Ghosh said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur, who had earlier quit from the WhatsApp groups of the party and had accused its state leadership of sidelining the "Matua" community leaders for newcomers in the party, was the main organiser of the picnic.

With an estimated 30 lakh Matuas in the state, the community has influence in at least five Lok Sabha seats and nearly 50 assembly seats in Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas districts. Thakur himself belongs to the community.

"Today's picnic has nothing to do with politics. We have assembled here for a get-together," BJP leader Jaiprakash Majumdar said.

Majumder, Sayantan Basu, Ritesh Tewary, Ashok Kirtania, Subrata Thakur and other leaders who had attended the meeting held at Kolkata Port Trust guest house last week joined the picnic.

Rumblings of discontent within the BJP's West Bengal unit were heard on Saturday when a group of rebel leaders of the party led by Thakur voiced resentment over its newly constituted state committee.

Thakur had told reporters that the new state and district committees have "overlooked" the "sacrifice of the dedicated and loyal leaders" who have taken the saffron party to its present position in Bengal.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)