NEW DELHI: The following is an excerpt of an exclusive interview with BJP’s veteran leader Dilip Ghosh.
Dilip Ghosh, who is the erstwhile president of the Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), spoke to The Sunday Guardian on the Lok Sabha elections. He is the BJP candidate from the Bardhaman-Durgapur seat, which is witnessing a high-octane electoral battle. Under Ghosh’s leadership, the BJP in Bengal went from 2 to 18 in the Lok Sabha in 2019.
This time the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has fielded cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad from the seat. Ghosh said TMC is immersed in corruption from top to bottom, and that the people of Bengal will choose the BJP for their safety.
Q: How do you think the party is framing under the leadership of Sukanto Mazumdar?
A: Look, with time and situation, the leadership of the party is changing. During my tenure, we didn’t have leadership; the party was new, and even then, we fought and showed our achievements. And now, in Bengal, the party had an MLA and MP, and it was just a matter of accepting him, and the party is doing well under Sukanto Mazumdar’s leadership as well.
Q: Why should people in Bengal vote for the BJP?
A: Today TMC has neither control over the administration nor their party members. From top to bottom, they are immersed in the corruption. Their leaders like Shahjahan Sheikh, Mr Hakim and Mahua Moitra, to name a few are accused of corruption. Additionally, heightened activity by the NIA underscores the security concerns in this borderland state.
People are worried about the escalating anti-national activities, including recent incidents like Sandeshkhali, a village in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, which has been witnessing protests over allegations of sexual abuse of women by a local TMC leader.Many believe that under the current government, finding solutions will be challenging. Hence, the BJP emerges as a potential solution, with a clear message of zero tolerance towards corruption. People also place trust in Modi’s track record, citing his initiatives for housing, gas distribution, food provisions, vaccination drives, and the empowerment of women. His inclusive approach, irrespective of caste, race, culture, or language, resonates with voters, leading them to support Modi and the BJP.
Q: The centre has changed your seat from Medinipur to Bardhaman-Durgapur; will it impact your vote share?
A: No, as I have been the president of the Bengal BJP for six years and I know this place like my own. I have been to every block and village, and people also know this. The chief minister has also changed her seat during the assembly election from Kolkata to Nandigram. The seat keeps changing according to the party’s status. Vote share does not depend on that.
Q: What is BJP doing to have Muslim votes in this election?
A: Muslims are very confused; they keep voting for TMC, but in return, TMC does nothing for them. There is no change in their lives. And the change comes only because of Modi’s plans. Now, they have a house and gas, and their children are getting stipends. They are getting benefits from every central scheme. The Muslim community in Bengal faces significant poverty, largely attributed to the political parties they have historically supported, which have failed to uplift their economic status and have instead utilised their reliance on them as a vote bank. Muslims in Bengal this time seek a change and intend to vote for the BJP.
Q: Will Sandeshkhali-like incidents give the BJP an upper hand in this election?
A: All these issues, CAA and corruption in the state are going against TMC. It will undoubtedly benefit us, as we are the only viable alternative.
Q: How many seats will the BJP win in this election?
A: Last time, our organisation was new, so Amit Shah gave us the target of 22 seats, out of which we won 18. This time around, he has raised the bar to 35 seats, so we’re aiming to achieve it and assess our progress along the way.
Q: The Election Commission recently censured you for a comment against Mamata Banerjee. Do you have any regrets about that?
A: CM is the most vocal. She comments on a lot of things which draws censure from the EC. Recently, she also made comments about Modiji. However, these remarks seem to have more traction on social media than in public, with villagers generally viewing them positively.