Rattled by a series of demonstrations outside the state party headquarters in Kolkata, West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party president Sukanta Majumdar Friday issued a stern warning saying that disciplinary actions will be taken against dissenting party members.
Majumdar said that the BJP is known for its discipline and asked dissatisfied members to communicate with the party leaders or express their concerns through proper channels.
"We will not tolerate indiscipline. We will take stern action," he asserted while criticising the protests and defacement of posters by BJP members outside the state party office in Kolkata on Thursday.
Such a behaviour only benefits the opposition, Majumdar added.
BJP parliamentarian and Majumdar's predecessor, Dilip Ghosh advocated for a more measured approach to address the concerns of the disgruntled members.
Ghosh, who had a successful stint as Bengal BJP president, said, "We need to have a more delicate approach in dealing with such issues. The party workers are our assets. There should be a thorough examination of the reasons behind the protests."
On Thursday hundreds of BJP workers gathered outside the party's headquarters in Kolkata, protested against the current situation in the party organisation and accused its leaders of favouring newcomers over long-time members.
Protesters carrying party flags and chanting slogans against the state BJP leaders, including Majumdar and state general secretary (organisation) Amitabha Chakraborty, expressed frustration over the perceived sidelining of loyal party veterans in favour of newer entrants.
These new comers, they claimed, earlier owed allegiance to other parties and have secured prominent positions in the saffron party's state and district units.
Manoj Das, a BJP protestor said, "I have been associated with the party for the last 20 years when no one dared to or even thought of being associated with it. But now those who have joined BJP from other parties in the last few years are holding important positions in the districts and local units. This is unacceptable."
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) seized the opportunity to criticise its arch-enemy.
The internal protests are indicative of turmoil in the opposition party, it said.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh remarked, "The BJP aspires to attain power in West Bengal but the reality is that it struggles to manage internal conflicts."
Over the past year BJP has been grappling with internal strife and protests, primarily stemming from the organisational changes implemented in various parts of the state.
In September union minister Subhas Sarkar was confined in a party office in the Bankura district, his constituency, as angry party members accused him of sidelining long-standing members.
The BJP leadership has pledged to address these concerns and mitigate discord within the party.
