Samik Bhattacharya’s First Task: Discipline Bengal BJP Before PM Modi’s Rally On July 18

Last Updated:July 16, 2025, 11:17 IST

Sources say the BJP leadership in Delhi was unhappy with Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s controversial statement asking Hindu Bengalis not to visit ‘Muslim majority’ J&K

West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya | Image: PTI

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Bengal’s Durgapur on July 18, state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya has received his first task—get the Bengal unit disciplined. Bhattacharya was asked to keep the flock, including its senior leadership, in check recently when he made his first visit to Delhi after becoming the West Bengal BJP president.

Sources say the BJP leadership in Delhi was unhappy with Bengal BJP leader and LoP Suvendu Adhikari’s controversial statement asking Hindu Bengalis not to visit “Muslim majority" Jammu & Kashmir. Referring to the recent Pahalgam attack, Adhikari had said: “Don’t go to the places where Muslims are in majority. If you want to go to Kashmir, go to Jammu… They (terrorists) killed people asking about their religion."

TMC lost no time to hit back, claiming Adhikari “shamelessly echoed the terrorists’ agenda". While Adhikari made it clear it was his personal opinion, the BJP leadership is clearly not convinced.

In Delhi, Bhattacharya met BJP’s Bengal in-charge Sunil Bansal and General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh and is believed to have been asked to get the state unit disciplined. No out-of-turn gaffes or unwanted controversies should be allowed ahead of PM Modi’s rally in Durgapur, which he is visiting after six years.

The BJP is also in discomfiture in Bengal due to its former state president Dilip Ghosh, whose growing proximity with chief minister Mamata Banerjee has irked the cadres. Last week, Ghosh too came to Delhi and visited the BJP headquarters to meet Deputy General Secretary (Organisation) Shiv Prakash. However, after the meeting, Ghosh said something that may not go down well with the BJP—that there is no pending case of corruption against Mamata Banerjee. Earlier, Ghosh went to the inauguration of the ‘Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra’ (cultural centre) at Digha, an event largely skipped by the state BJP leadership.

PM Modi’s last rally in West Bengal was on May 29, 2025, in Alipurduar. Last time, he raised the issue of TMC government’s alleged corruption, which he claimed “destroyed families". “TMC regime not ready to accept its mistakes in school jobs scam. It is blaming courts, judicial system," he said. The rally comes days before the Trinamool Congress’ annual Martyrs’ Day programme on July 21, indicating a strategic move by the BJP to counter TMC’s influence in the state.

Anindya Banerjee

Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in ...Read More

Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in ...

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