The most important takeaway for the BJP from the Brigade Parade Ground rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday was that it was a “united show” of the party, where the old guard and newcomers in Bengal were seen in the same frame.
The show of unity is crucial for the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections.
Starting with Dilip Ghosh, who had not been seen at recent rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former state BJP president Tathagata Roy and Dinesh Trivedi, who had switched over from the Trinamool Congress, graced the dais on Saturday.
“It was not only on the dais; if someone looks at the crowd that came from the districts, they would find a mixture of old guards and newcomers together,” said a BJP source, claiming that uniting all factions of the party was possible only after repeated efforts by current state president Samik Bhattacharya.
“No one was deprived. There will be no cry of anyone being sidelined in the party. It was not only the party’s biggest Brigade rally, but also a show of unity that had vanished from the party since it won an unprecedented 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2019,” said the source.
Multiple sources said it had become a tradition in the BJP that leaders close to the incumbent state president and those in the inner circles of the state committee would get priority in the front row of any programme. Ghosh, who is believed to be the architect of the BJP’s impressive performance in the 2019 general election, had been sidelined in the party for years.
The situation had turned so bitter that Ghosh was even barred from political events or programmes organised by the state leadership. After he met chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the newly inaugurated Jagannath Temple in Digha on April 30 last year, it became a major embarrassment for the BJP.
The situation turned so bad that most senior BJP leaders refrained from commenting on his actions. However, after Bhattacharya took charge as the state president, his first step was to include everyone in the team, keeping in mind the need for unity in the forthcoming elections.
“It was a state programme, and the BJP had invited all old and new leaders to the event. The election is approaching, and it is very important to work together. The party has decided to keep all leaders onboard, irrespective of whether they are old or new,” Ghosh told The Telegraph.
Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty said the biggest gain of the Brigade rally was that it was the first such organised programme of the BJP where all factions or camps were united.
“All were there on the dais — from faces like Dilip Ghosh to old guards like Ritesh Tiwari and Raju Banerjee. It was something the BJP needed badly ahead of the elections. The Prime Minister was also aggressive, and the rally showcased Bengal’s culture to connect with the state in a better way,” said Chakraborty.
BJP insiders said the footfall on the Brigade Parade ground was high because the party had not left anyone out.
“In earlier Brigade rallies, old-timers like me were not invited. In this rally, I was not only invited but also assigned to bring 200 workers from my constituency. The party even gave special passes to old guard leaders to sit in the front rows,” said an old-timer in the BJP from Birbhum.
Another source in the BJP said that after assuming office, Bhattacharya made two major changes. First, he included all old-timers to work in tandem with the newcomers. Second, he incorporated Bengali cultural elements in the party programmes.
On Saturday, Modi was gifted a portrait of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and the backdrop of the dais was a replica of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Modi has also shifted his slogan from the traditional “Jai Shri Ram” to “Jai Maa Kali” and
“Jai Maa Durga”.