Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaped praise on BJP state president Dilip Ghosh while addressing a poll rally in West Midnapore’s Kharagpur on Saturday, the honour prompting party leaders to wonder what prompted the PM to single out Ghosh ahead of the Bengal polls.
“I’m proud that my party has a state president like Dilip Ghosh. To help the party win, Dilip Ghosh neither slept peacefully nor cowered before Didi’s threats in the past two years or so.... There have been several attacks on him. There were attempts to kill him. But he kept walking with a vow to usher in a bright future for Bengal. Today, he is a source of energy in Bengal,” Modi said with Ghosh by his side on the stage.
Multiple state BJP leaders this correspondent spoke to said they couldn’t recall another instance when Modi had invested almost a full minute to praise any leader from Bengal.
“We were all surprised.... We have made extraordinary progress under Dilipda’s reign, but Modiji praising Dilipda ahead of the polls is significant,” a state office-bearer of the party said.
Before praising Ghosh, Modi raised the slogan “Bangal mein iss baar, BJP sarkar” (This time, a BJP government in Bengal). On why he felt that the ground was ready for a change in Bengal, Modi cited two factors — the sacrifice of 130 party workers (who died) and Dilip Ghosh.
The praise created a flutter in the faction-ridden BJP state unit. Those close to Ghosh claimed it was an endorsement of the possibility of Ghosh becoming the chief ministerial candidate. His detractors did not want to read much into it.
Right now, the moot question in the BJP camp has been who would head the government if the party comes to power. This has deepened the cracks in the state unit as many, including Ghosh, Union minister Babul Supriyo, Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta, MP Locket Chatterjee and Trinamul turncoat Suvendu Adhikari are believed to be harbouring chief ministerial ambitions.
A group said Modi was probably trying to address micro concerns. “Dilipda was the people’s favourite for the Kharagpur Town seat, but actor Hiran Chatterjee was fielded from here. Modiji was probably trying to avert potential discontent regarding the candidature,” a BJP leader from Midnapore said.
Reacting to Modi’s praise, Ghosh said: “I’m just discharging the responsibilities the party has given me. If my leaders are happy with me, I'll think that it is the result of my toil and hard work. He (Modi) had come here five years ago and addressed a meeting, I had won and become an MLA. Then I became an MP from there. Naturally I’ve a different connection with Midnapore. He might have felt that he should take my name, because people are with me and it will benefit the party because the people there want me…”
