Rahul Sinha, Bharatiya Janata Party leader from West Bengal, hit out against his own party on Saturday by releasing a video criticising the party’s strategy of dropping him in order to “make way for TMC leaders”.
This public expression of dissent is rare in the BJP, which till now has maintained strict discipline in its ranks with even slighted
Sinha is a veteran of the Bengal unit of the BJP, having served for decades from the time the saffron party was a non-entity in the state.
The immediate cause of his anger seems to be his replacement as the BJP’s national general secretary by a former Trinamool Congress MP, Anupam Hazra.
To add to this, Trinamool Congress defector Mukul Roy was promoted as a vice-president of the BJP.
Sinha is known to have stormy relations with Roy, a founding member of the Trinamool and once Mamata Banerjee’s right-hand man.
“For 40 years I have served the BJP as a soldier. I have to step aside because a Trinamool Congress leader is coming – there can be nothing more unfortunate than this reward for serving the BJP since birth,” he said in a video message on Twitter.
To make sure the video had wide circulation, Sinha released it in Hindi as well as in Bangla.
Sinha ended the video with a veiled threat: “Whatever I have to say, I will say in 10 to 12 days and decide my future course of action.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!