Some Lower Rung Party Workers Planted By Prashant Kishor: Bengal BJP Leader Tathagata Roy

BJP veteran Tathagata Roy, who had stirred controversy by criticising the selection of party candidates in West Bengal assembly election, did so afresh on Tuesday by saying that many workers at the lower level have been planted by the firm of poll strategist Prashant Kishor to work for ruling Trinamool Congress and that he had been informed of it by some committed grassroot activists.

BJP was quick to criticise Mr Roy saying such unfounded comments were an insult to the grassroot workers of the party.

Mr Roy posted on Twitter in Bengali, "I have got this information from a diehard BJP worker. He says it is unbelievable but true that several members of PK's (as Prashant Kishor is called) team had called an educated youth in his locality to join BJP but work for Trinamool Congress at a monthly emolument of Rs 13,000."

"I think there can be many such people at the lower level of BJP who are getting monthly wages from PK. It will be very difficult to ensure BJP's win (in the state) until these elements are identified,“ he said in the microblogging site.

Reacting sharply to Mr Roy's allegations, BJP state vice-president Jaiprakash Majumdar said "He (Roy) is a spent force. He has only perfected the art of regular tweets but the party doesn't attach much importance to what he says."

Mr Majumdar asserted that Mr Roy's comments have no basis and "such comments will only insult the struggle, fight and sacrifice of lower level BJP workers who have held the party's flag high despite violent attacks by the goons of Trinamool Congress."

When asked for his comment, TMC spokesman Kunal Ghosh said "We are being flooded with pleas by both lower level BJP workers and leaders for inducting them into our party."

Mr Roy had earlier flagged the issues of TMC turncoats joining BJP and those having no political experience being given tickets in the state poll. He had also blamed former state party president Dilip Ghosh and its Bengal minder Kailash Vijayvargiya for the poll debacle.

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