Suvendu to be saffron face in Bengal: National leadership hints

Nandigram MLA is a giant killer: Party general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh

Suvendu Adhikari

TT Bureau   |   Calcutta   |   29.12.21  : BJP’s national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh made it apparent to Bengal leaders during his recent Calcutta visit that Suvendu Adhikari would remain the face of the party in the state, said a source in the saffron camp.

In his meeting with the new office-bearers of the party’s state unit and district leaders on Monday, Santhosh, often referred to as the strongest organisational secretary the BJP has seen in recent past, didn’t name Adhikari, but apparently made it clear the central leadership had full faith in the Nandigram MLA. Santhosh called Adhikari a “giant killer” in the party because of his triumph over Mamata Banerjee in the recent Assembly polls in the Nandigram seat.

“The notion that those who come from other parties aren’t given respect in the BJP is not right.… In the past eight years, the BJP made several people, who came to the party, chief minister of different states,” a source quoted Santhosh having said.

The source then rolled out examples of leaders like Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, who was in the Janata Dal (United), Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was with the Congress, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu, who was with the Congress and then with the People’s Party of Arunachal and Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh (who was with the Democratic Revolutionary People’s Party and then with the Congress) to elaborate on Santhosh’s argument.

The fact that Santhosh took care to explain how lateral entrants to the BJP had got due importance assumes significance in the context of Bengal, where the BJP chose the inorganic growth path in the past few years.

While the strategy did help the BJP as it got scores of leaders from other parties and some of them went on to become MPs and MLAs. When the BJP emerged as the main Opposition party in the state, the influx of leaders from other parties triggered a bitter power struggle in the state unit.

“Look what Himanta Biswa Sarma has done or has been doing after coming to the party. All his actions are in sync with the party’s idea of nationalism. You all have to understand that if someone comes from outside, but accepts the party culture, then he or she can reach any position,” Santhosh reportedly told the meeting.

This message, several BJP insiders said, will settle the insider-outsider debate that has become an Achilles heel for the BJP in recent months. Each time the BJP’s poll performance didn’t match the party’s expectations, some party insiders blamed newly inducted leaders like Adhikari.

Santhosh said in his address that while elections were important, the party would not lose its focus on Bengal because of poor performance in a couple of electoral contests. “We are here not to win a few elections.… Bengal is a bordering state and we all know the situation in Bangladesh and the threat of Islamisation. We can’t leave the state in the hands of a fragile leadership. We have long-term plans for Bengal,” Santhosh reportedly explained why Bengal was important for the BJP.

BJP sources said the national leaders had realised that the insider-outsider debate had to be ended once for all and that was why Santhosh broached the topic.

“He made it clear that Suvendu would remain the face of the party while Sukanta Majumdar will head the state organisation,” said a source, adding that unequivocal endorsement of Adhikari would help the Trinamul turncoat play a larger role in the BJP.

“Santhosh-ji also made it clear that the elected representatives and the office-bearers in the party are two sides of the same coin and they would have to co-ordinate among themselves,” said a source.