Dilip Ghosh: We expected 5 berths in Modi govt Disgruntlement over fewer ministers from Bengal

TT, 1 June 2019: Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said the state leadership of the party had expected five-six berths in the Narendra Modi ministry and it was not satisfied by just two ministers in the cabinet.

Ghosh, the new MP from Midnapore, publicly expressed his discontent over Bengal’s representation in the Union government upon his return from New Delhi.

“I had a talk with Ram Lal-ji (national general secretary in-charge of organisation) yesterday (Thursday). I told him about our expectations on getting ministerial berths. I said when we had two MPs, both were ministers and now with 18 MPs, we got the same number,” Ghosh told a news conference.

He added that there were expectations of at least “five-six ministers” from Bengal.

Babul Supriyo and Debasree Chaudhuri are the two ministers from Bengal in the Modi cabinet. They had taken oath as minister of state on Thursday.

Sources in the state BJP said leaders in north Bengal had expected more than a minister of state as the region sent seven party members to the Lok Sabha.

Chaudhuri was elected from Raiganj in a four-corner contest.

Names of tribal MP from Alipurduar John Barla and RSS-backed medical professor Jayanta Roy, who won the Jalpaiguri seat, were doing the rounds, said a BJP insider.

The state BJP leaders were also disappointed with a single representative of south Bengal in the Union ministry — Supriyo, who won from Asansol.

“What about the tremendous support we got from the Jungle Mahal? We had hoped that RSS man Kunar Hembram who won from Jhargram would get a cabinet berth. We had also thought Bankura MP Subhas Sarkar would be made a minister,” said a senior Bengal BJP leader.

The Bengal Mahila Morcha, too, expressed its displeasure as its state president and Hooghly MP Locket Chatterjee could not make the cut.

Asked about his omission from the cabinet, Ghosh said: “I never wanted to be part of the Union government. I am an organisation man. My mission for Bengal is not yet over. My focus is to ensure a BJP government in the state.”

Ghosh, however, stressed that BJP chief and Union home minister Amit Shah had praised the Bengal unit for its performance in the Lok Sabha polls at the meeting with over 300 MPs in Delhi.

“The doors to get entry to the Union ministry are not yet closed. We hope justice from Modiji and Amitji. In 2014, we initially had no minister from Bengal and gradually, we got both our MPs included… Let’s hope for the best,” Ghosh said.