The BJP’s national vice-president and former Bengal unit chief Dilip Ghosh is unhappy with the functioning of the party’s state unit, sources close to him said.

Multiple leaders confirmed that Ghosh expressed his discontent with the current state chief Sukanta Majumdar, signalling yet another rift in the saffron camp in Bengal.

Expressing his disappointment with the state leadership for rescinding its decision to hold Kali Puja and postponing the party’s march to Nabanna, the Midnapore MP told one of his close aides that the present state leadership did not have the power to take decisions.

Sukanta Majumdar File Photo

“He is disappointed with how the party had to backtrack on two events after they had been publicly announced,” the aide said.

The women wing of the Bengal BJP had announced its decision to organise Kali Puja in protest against Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra”s comments on the goddess. However, the event was cancelled later. Similarly, the party’s Nabanna march on September 7 has been rescheduled to September 13.

“Dilipda has spoken about the programmes with Sukantada on Monday night. He told the president that rescheduling or cancelling declared events harms the party’s image. He has offered Sukantada help in taking decisions if needed,” a source said.

According to Ghosh, during his tenure events were organised after deliberations and discussions with several party leaders. But now, he believes, decisions are taken in a unilateral way mostly by the state general secretary (organisation) Amitava Chakraborty.

“When you discuss things with the people you get inputs and insights. With unilateral calls there is no such scope and that is why you are forced to go back on your own decisions,” he source said, adding that Ghosh has also asked Majumdar to ensure the march to Nabanna is properly executed.

“Only planning programmes will not help unless it is executed properly,” Ghosh is said to have told Majumdar.

Ghosh is apparently also unhappy with the state unit’s decision to book a star spa resort in South 24-Parganas for a three-day training event or prasikshan pravaas. In 2017, when Ghosh was the state chief a similar training event was organised at a guest house of the Union ministry of port and shipping in Haldia, East Midnapore. He believes that the same venue could have been selected for the event this year as well.

“Even if the entire resort is given for free to the party it still doesn't look nice. It sends out a bad message. At least 60 BJP workers have been killed by Trinamul in the last one year and we will be spending three days at a spa-resort? Is it not obnoxious?” Ghosh reportedly told his aides.

The decision has also not gone down well with several party old timers. Samsur Rahaman, a former vice-president of the BJP's minority morcha, has written to national chief J.P. Nadda protesting against the decision.

Rahaman has written that the money spent at the star facility should have been utilised for party workers who have been rendered homeless in post-poll violence or are fighting legal battles.

Sources said Nadda had taken cognisance of the fact that the rift within the state unit.