The BJP’s central leadership is not happy with the party’s national vice president Dilip Ghosh’s allegation of a “setting” between the CBI and the Trinamul Congress-led Bengal government, sources in the saffron camp said.

However, Ghosh remained unfazed on Monday and said he stuck what he had said on Sunday. According to multiple office bearers in the state BJP, the party’s top rung has already sought a report on Ghosh’s comments from the Bengal leadership.

“The CBI reports to the department of personnel, which comes under the ministry of personnel, pension and public grievances of the Union government. The Prime Minister himself holds this portfolio. Our central leaders have taken offence to the fact that Dilipda has accused the CBI of malpractices,” a state BJP leader said.

Ghosh, who represents Midnapore in Parliament, had alleged on Sunday that the Enforcement Directorate had specially been activated by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman after the BJP-led Centre had found out that the CBI was being “purchased” in Bengal and going into “setting (entente)” with Mamata Banerjee’s party. Ghosh made the comments while speaking at an event organised by the Union ministry of culture in Calcutta.

Asked if the central leadership had sought any report on Ghosh’s comments, Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar on Monday denied any such development. However, a highly placed source in the state unit said it was a routine process to seek information on comments that might have sparked off a controversy. The source added that both Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP’s national chief J.P. Nadda had spoken to state leaders about Ghosh’s comments.

He added that the statement hadn’t gone down well with the party’s national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh either. Asked to react to the development, Ghosh said he hadn’t received any communication from the central leadership.

“There are designated people who are tasked to speak to the state leaders about what actually has happened or whether I’m hurt about something. It isn’t anything serious.” Ghosh reiterated that he would stick to whatever he had said on Sunday.

Sukanta Majumdar.

“The CBI isn’t my responsibility. I’ve lost 60 workers in post poll violence. Whom have we been able to serve justice? I will say again (what I said yesterday).” “People have taken it for granted that CBI is ours. If that was the truth, why are our people beaten to death and are still not served justice.”On Monday, state BJP leadership convened several meetings. However, Ghosh was invited to join only the core committee meeting. He was present at the Hastings party office — where the meetings were being held — for a long time.

March deferred

The BJP on Monday announced that it had postponed its march to Nabanna by a week.

The march will now take place on September 13 and not on September 7. The decision was taken as tribal communities celebrate Karam festival on September 7.However, the move has drawn criticism from a section within the party. Several oldtimers alleged that it proved lack of coordination and cooperation within the party.

“Earlier, all of us would sit together and decide on a programme. Now, the people at helm take unilateral decisions. This is why nobody told them that September 7 is Karam puja,” a BJP MP said.

“Now, they had to change the date again. It shows the state of the organisation,” the MP added.