'Those who joined BJP in 2020-2021 don't know party culture': Dilip Ghosh's veiled attack on turncoats amid bonhomie with Mamata

Ghosh, who is one of the harshest critics of the Mamata Banerjee government, raised many eyebrows and fuelled speculations after the 60-year-old attended the inauguration of Jagannath Temple in Digha on Wednesday.

At a time the party leaders skipped the grand ceremony, Ghosh's visit and hobnobbing with Mamata Banerjee has caused massive embarrassment to the primary opposition party.

Defending his decision to attend the programme, Ghosh on Thursday said, "Whoever makes a temple, it's for all. We don't know who made Kalighat or Tarakeshwar temples but we go there to pray. People will forget who made Ram Temple but will keep Lord Ram in mind... I am amused by the fact that some of my party colleagues have been hurt by my visit to Jagannath Temple... BJP workers never look backwards or doubt each other. BJP progressed in the state politics as long as we didn't doubt each other. The party has started losing since the time this poor culture of doubts creeped into it."

"I have been into social works for 42 years and politics for 10 years. No one, be it in my party or the other, has the guts to point a finger at me. I challenge all. Only people whom I have inducted to the BJP are worried and raising fingers at me. I would like to assure everyone that I may quit politics but won't switch sides or leave BJP. There might be a section of party leaders who would be happy if I quit BJP but that's not going to happen because my mission to bring political change in West Bengal is still on."

Ghosh made the cracks within the BJP clearer with his potshots at turncoats that obviously included Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who has emerged as the main challenger to his former boss, Mamata Banerjee.

Ghosh has also questioned the credibility of the current top brass of the state unit in view of the BJP's losses in the recent elections.

"Some people, who think BJP's journey started in 2021, claim 57 party workers have been killed. But the actual figure is 257 or more. I haven't forgotten my party colleagues who lost lives in the political struggle because they were killed during my tenure (as BJP president). BJP under my leadership had won 77 seats but since then, our tally of seats, both MLA and MP, has tanked," Ghosh said.

"I subscribe to the BJP's culture that had allowed Atal Bihari Vajpayee to visit Mamata Banerjee's house and pay respect to her mother. I won't consider Mamata Banerjee as an enemy just because she is a political opponent now... Leaders who joined BJP in 2020-2021 won't understand our party culture.

"Some, who have been in various parties, are preaching RSS and Hindutva politics. All those, whose political career blossomed under Mamata Banerjee's leadership, have innumerable relationships, are lecturing me and giving character certificates!"

As Ghosh departed after his characteristic sharp address to the media, what surprised more was a group of people's loud cheer welcoming the leader into the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Ghosh joined active politics in 2015 when he was appointed as the BJP state president.

He contested and won from Kharagpur Sadar in the 2016 assembly elections and Medinipur in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

However, he was defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when he was fielded from Bardhaman Durgapur.

Under his leadership from 2015-2021, the party saw a meteoric rise from 2 to 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and 3 to 77 Assembly seats in 2021.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's tally under the leadership of Sukanta Majumdar and an aggressive campaign of Adhikari fell to 12 besides poorly performing in several byelections.