BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh's latest salvo at Kolkata: People think of own interests

KOLKATA: BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday accused the people of Kolkata of thinking only about their "own interests" and "voting for the party of the corrupt".
"People in Kolkata are not bothered about corruption. They only think of their own interests. There are protests across the state against corruption. Have you seen any such protest in Kolkata?" he asked while on his daily morning walk in New Town.
The remarks drew protests from the city's intelligentsia as well as the state's ruling party, with Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray saying the statement reflected Ghosh's "ignorance". Kolkata, which bore the brunt of Partition's pain, had always been "the cradle of national and international protests", he added.
Ghosh's rant about Kolkata's voters came a day after he drew flak from the BJP national brass for his Sunday statement, alleging that a section of the CBI had a "setting (understanding)" with the Trinamool. Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, too, had distanced him from Ghosh's CBI remark. On Tuesday, however, no senior BJP leader had reacted to Ghosh's statement till late evening.
"When did the BJP win a seat in Kolkata?" Ghosh asked on Tuesday morning, apparently oblivious of the fact that his party's founder, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, became an MP from Calcutta Southeast constituency in 1952. "People of Kolkata will vote for the party of the corrupt," he added, daring the BJP leadership to prove him wrong.
'Impossible to keep reacting to his statements'
BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh felt the City of Joy's residents would soon join the Durga Puja festivities and forget about corruption. "I am talking about the character of Bengalis. It does not matter to Bengalis whether they have electricity, water supply or jobs. They are happy with the Rs 60,000 dole for the Durga Puja. They will make merry and forget everything," he said.
Trinamool spokesperson Sukhendu Shekhar Ray felt it was "impossible to keep reacting to Ghosh's statements". "He should know that Kolkata has been the cradle of national and international protests. It has borne the brunt of Partition's pain and has always fought for its rights. Yet, despite all the pain, the city has embraced everyone.
His ignorance has prompted him to attack Bengal's Nobel laureates earlier. His statements reflect the frustration at losing clout in his own party. There is nothing much to react to ignorance about one's own roots," Ray added.