Hours after quitting as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal youth wing chief and criticising the state leadership on Wednesday, Lok Sabha MP Saumitra Khan withdrew his resignation. He said that he withdrew his resignation “under the instruction” of BJP leaders BL Santhosh, Amit Shah and Tejasvi Surya.

Earlier in the day, the MP had criticised party chief Dilip Ghosh and Bengal leader Suvendu Adhikari, reported PTI.

Khan claimed that Adhikari tried to take credit for all achievements of the party. “This leader of opposition in the state should look in the mirror,” Khan said. “He is misleading the leaders of New Delhi. He considers himself the tallest leader of the party in Bengal.”

Advertisement

In a dig at Ghosh, Khan said that he understood only half of what happens and cannot comprehend it all.

The Bishnupur MP expressed faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central leadership, and added that he was only resigning from his position, not the party itself.

The MP claimed that leaders of one or two districts were running the entire organisation in the state. He also alleged that many politicians with “dubious credentials” were inducted into the BJP before the Assembly polls, which the saffron party lost to the Trinamool Congress. “Some of them were nominated and they failed to win elections,” he said.

Advertisement

Adhikari refused to respond to the allegations. “I will not take it seriously,” he said. “He is my younger brother. I will go and have lunch at his residence in Delhi. I had campaigned for Saumitra Khan in Kotulpur in 2011. I wish him every success in his career.”

When asked if any disciplinary action will be taken against Khan, Adhikari said that he should not talk about organisational matters and it will be decided by Dilip Ghosh.

Trinamool Congress state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said that Khan’s comments have brought the rivalry between BJP’s new and old leaders out in the open. “Suvendu had enjoyed power in TMC before joining the BJP,” Ghosh said. “Now he is cornering other leaders in the saffron party. Old and loyal members are bound to get upset.”