May 17: One part of the BJP is heartily swallowing the " jhalmuri" served up by Mamata Banerjee while another is trying desperately to spit out the politically spiced puffed rice.
The BJP's central minder for Bengal, Sidharth Nath Singh, today said there was "no space for jhalmuri diplomacy" in the state, joining party colleague Roopa Ganguly in criticising junior minister Babul Supriyo for snacking with the chief minister at a time party workers were "being attacked".
"There is a Centre-state relationship that functions under the federal system. However, the BJP and Trinamul are not on the same ideological page.... and therefore, the BJP will fight Trinamul tooth and nail. There is no space for jhalmuri diplomacy," Singh said this evening.
Singh's observations underscored the "dilemma" BJP leaders are facing in Bengal in its fight against the state government after chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi swapped "shoulder-to-shoulder" cooperation.
Supriyo, who had jhalmuri and phuchka with Mamata last week while travelling back to Raj Bhavan in her car from a Modi programme, has explained his action saying that turning down the chief minister's offer would have been discourteous.
In a broader perspective, the BJP's central strategists and officials were at pains to decouple the Modi-Mamata bonhomie, insisting that the optics would not "take back" the party's efforts to try and emerge as Trinamul's main opponent in the Assembly elections next year.
"Please don't link the call of protocol with politics. When the Prime Minister is visiting a state, do you expect him to cold-shoulder its chief minister? We have told our state leaders and workers to work hard and strengthen the organisation," said a central party official who recently spent time in Bengal.
Asked if the state unit was told to be aggressive towards Trinamul, he said: "Aggressive is the wrong word. Whatever is done will be done through civilised discourse. We will project the BJP as the only alternative to the lack of development and security under Left and Trinamul regimes."
A BJP central strategist, however, conceded that the party was facing a"dilemma" in Bengal. "We are walking the tightrope. On the one hand, we cannot ignore Trinamul's presence in Parliament and its potential to bail us out on bills. On the other, we see Bengal as a high growth region. We better sort out our Bengal policy soon."
Last week, BJP national president Amit Shah was asked by journalists if he had adopted a "go-slow" approach towards Trinamul in Bengal because of the Centre's tactical compulsions. He denied the suggestion, saying: "We will be as active as always."
BJP sources said central party leaders visiting Bengal lately were "besieged" with questions on what precisely was expected of state cadres vis-a-vis Trinamul.
State BJP chief Rahul Sinha had said last week that district units had been advised to up the ante against the government and the ruling party.
Joining forces with Roopa in criticising Supriyo today was actor-turned BJP leader Joy Banerjee, who had unsuccessfully contested the Birbhum Lok Sabha seat.
He today advised Supriyo to strike a balance between his job as a minister and that of a politician.
This evening, Supriyo said he was trying to "strike a balance".
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the BJP's second minder for Bengal, said she was not in a position now to comment on the recent criticism of Supriyo by party colleagues. "Let me attend some meetings, after which I will be able to comment," she said.
Sources said Nirmala was told that the common demand was to re-activate the BJP for a stronger role against Trinamul. She will be in Malda on May 23 and 24 as part of her field exercise.
