UNI ELECTION SPECIAL
By Sirshendu Panth
Kharagpur, April 18 (UNI) Back to his combative avatar as he campaigns in the lanes and bylanes of his old constituency, Kharagpur Sadar, senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh says while his party would welcome votes from the Muslims, it was not fixated on the community's support in the West Bengal Assembly polls.
In a freewheeling interview with UNI at his BNR Garden bungalow here, the 61-year-old former state BJP chief dwelt on a wide range of issues – from his party's prospects in the upcoming polls to his threat to deploy bulldozers to free encroachments.
Looking fresh and relaxed in his kurta pyjama despite having just returned from Kolkata, a 130-km drive, Ghosh said the BJP would get a "sufficient majority", but declined to specify the number of seats it could win.
"Who thought the NDA would get over 200 seats in Bihar? In multi-party politics, the ordinary voters decide the outcome. But what is certain is the BJP will come to power with a sufficient majority," he said, relishing his evening tea as a strong wind and rains began pounding the railway town.
While his party had been high on confidence over forming the government five years back, too, Ghosh said 2021 and 2026 were vastly different.
"In 2021, we were greenhorns. I too was a novice. The sort of public response we were getting made us think we would win. But that did not happen, though our results were historic as we progressed from three seats to 77."
"Since then, we have further strengthened the party, its base. We've gained in experience and fought two more elections (the panchayat polls in 2023 and that for the Lok Sabha in 2024). This time, we are more cautious. Moreover, our entire party nationally is going all out to win Bengal," he said.
With Muslims estimated to constitute around 30 per cent of the electorate, many political observers hold that it puts the BJP at a disadvantage. But Ghosh disagreed.
"We are running governments in 21 states without getting votes from the Muslims. We've come to power at the Centre thrice consecutively. In Goa, Christians and Muslims together constitute the majority. In Assam too, Muslims make up 40-45 per cent of the population. But we are coming to power repeatedly".
Ghosh said now the Muslims in Bengal vote for the ruling Trinamool Congress. "But it is for them to realise whether their voting strategy has benefitted them. According to the Rajinder Sachar Committee, the Muslims of Bengal have remained the most backward in every respect".
"If the Muslim community feels that for improving their lot, they would side with the BJP, they are welcome. However, we are not fixated on whether they vote for us or not," said Ghosh, during whose presidency the BJP won 18 of the state's 42 parliamentary seats in 2019.
Known for his controversial remarks, Ghosh recently faced criticism over his threat to use bulldozers to evict encroachers, a la Uttar Pradesh, if the BJP triumphed in the Assembly polls.
Ghosh, however, has his own logic. "From Railway land to khas property (land in the direct possession of the government), from jungle areas to roadside land strips – everything has been encroached upon in Bengal. Then there are areas where infiltrators have forcibly constructed houses."
"The government's primary responsibility is to free such encroachments and make them accessible to the people. We need to ensure the citizens are not deprived. We have to free such land (once we come to power). It was in such scenarios that the bulldozers were deployed in several states," he said.
With the BJP not projecting any chief ministerial candidate, the former Midnapore MP was asked who would be the CM if his party managed to unseat the TMC, which is led by a veteran politician like Mamata Banerjee.
"Well, Mamata Banerjee is the face; she is the party. One to ten – she is everything in TMC. But this is not the culture of the BJP. Modiji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is our face at the national level. And after the party wins a state, the person considered the most capable is made the CM," he replied.
Ghosh deftly parried a poser on whether he had chief ministerial ambitions, "That's for the party to decide. I am only carrying out the responsibilities given by the party".
As the weather cleared outside, Ghosh got ready to go out for campaigning, but not before answering the parting question, a stereotype – his chances this time.
"Kharagpur Sadar has consistently given us leads in the past few elections. I won my maiden election from this seat in 2016. Three years later, I became an MP from Midnapore, of which this segment is a part. Our target this time is to secure 1 lakh plus votes and win by an over 50 thousand margin," Ghosh said, as his convoy sped off.
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