A week after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) removed its West Bengal leader, Anupam Hazra, who held a national secretary post, speculations are now rife that he will 'return home' to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Earlier last week, local media reports suggested that Hazra may join TMC on the condition that the party offers him a Lok Sabha ticket, more specifically from the Bolpur constituency.
“As per the instructions of BJP National President JP Nadda, Anupam Hazra is relieved from the post of national secretary. This should be followed with immediate effect,” said a statement issued by the party’s National General Secretary Arun Singh on 26 December, following a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah.
So, what's behind this decision? How big a role did Hazra's criticism of the party's functioning play in his ouster? What does his removal mean for the BJP in a crucial state like West Bengal? The Quint decodes.
Anupam Hazra to Return to TMC? West Bengal Leader's Controversial BJP Innings
1. Who is Anupam Hazra?
Forty-one-year-old Anupam Hazra, an assistant professor in the Social Work Department at the Visva-Bharati University (VU), joined the BJP in February 2020.
He first became a Member of Parliament in 2014, from the Bolpur constituency, on a TMC ticket by defeating the CPI(M)'s Ram Chandra Dome by over 2.5 lakh votes.
Hazra joined the BJP after he was expelled from the TMC in 2019, allegedly for 'anti-party activities'.
He secured a BJP ticket for the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 but lost to the TMC’s actor-turned-politician Mimi Chakraborty by almost 3 lakh votes.
In 2020, Hazra was appointed as national secretary by the BJP’s central leadership. Earlier last year, the BJP leadership reappointed Hazra as national secretary for a second consecutive term.
Expand2. Confrontations & Controversies
In 2015, a year after the Bolpur constituency had elected him, Hazra entered into a confrontation with Visva-Bharati University after the varsity authorities restricted him from taking classes after he took extensive leaves to attend the Parliament sessions.
In June 2015, Visva-Bharati University dismissed him as an assistant professor. On his part, he accused the varsity of terminating his job “illegally” for his bid to “raise his voice against corruption at the university”.
In June 2018, he won a lawsuit against the Centre and Visva-Bharati University, which led to his reinstatement as an assistant professor. But the controversies did not end here.
During this period, Hazra had often criticised the leadership of TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal.
He alleged that despite being an MP, Hazra could not work freely due to the influence of the party satraps like Mondal. Upset by his “rebellious attitude” and “anti-party activities”, the TMC expelled Hazra from the party in January 2019.
In February 2019, Hazra joined the BJP and was fielded from the Jadavpur constituency in South 24 Parganas district in the Lok Sabha polls.
During this election, he courted trouble for bringing former WWE wrestler Khali to campaign for him. The TMC registered a complaint with the Election Commission against him, alleging that Khali, a US citizen since 2014, is not allowed to campaign in India.
More recently, in December 2023, Hazra set up a stall in Poush Mela (an annual fair) in Santiniketan, where he appealed to the BJP’s dissidents and aggrieved workers to register their grievances.
A political analyst, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Quint, "In the Poush Mela that was held last week, there were two stalls set up -- one by the official BJP and the other by the Anupam Hazra faction. The two stalls were facing each other. This goes to show that he has fallen out of favour with his bosses."
In November 2023, he even joined the protest and shared the podium organised by the TMC on Visva-Bharati University's decision to omit Rabindranath Tagore’s name from the heritage plaques.
After this series of "anti-party" posts and incidents, the Union Home Ministry, under Amit Shah, withdrew his Y-category security in August. But still he refused to buck and continued with his posts. Even The Statesman reported that Hazra does not share cordial relations with neither BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar nor former president Dilip Ghosh and even with the BJP Birbhum district president Dhruba Saha.
Expand3. What Triggered His Removal?
On 24 December, in a social media post, Hazra accused state BJP leaders of allegedly siphoning funds in the name of the Gita Path programme at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.
He alleged that the passes for the event were sold for Rs 1,000 per head by the party leaders, demanding a probe into the matter.
“Some VIP passes were made for Gita Path for some VIP people. It was given to block-level leaders of the BJP to be given to some people. However, in Birbhum’s Nalhati, these cards are being sold for Rs 1,000,” he wrote in the post.
The West Bengal BJP has declined to comment on the decision to remove Hazra from his post and attributed it to the central leadership.
BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya, known for his clashes with Hazra, told local media "The party had bestowed responsibilities upon him and has now relieved him of those. What more can we say?"
Another state BJP leader told news agency PTI the central leadership's decision was a message against dissidents within the party.
"Despite numerous warnings, Hazra continued making remarks against the state leadership, causing embarrassment to the party. Thus, the party decided to take action," said the BJP leader, who refused to be named.
Expand4. What Has Hazra Said?
Hours after being removed from the BJP’s national secretary post, Hazra said in a cryptic social media post that he would get back the post if certain conditions were met.
“The party has said everything will be back to normal if certain conditions are kept,” Hazra wrote on Facebook in Bengali.
Hazra in this post wrote that the party has said everything will be back to normal if certain conditions are kept."
(Photo: Facebook/ Anupam Hazra)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)
Expand
Who is Anupam Hazra?
Forty-one-year-old Anupam Hazra, an assistant professor in the Social Work Department at the Visva-Bharati University (VU), joined the BJP in February 2020.
He first became a Member of Parliament in 2014, from the Bolpur constituency, on a TMC ticket by defeating the CPI(M)'s Ram Chandra Dome by over 2.5 lakh votes.
Hazra joined the BJP after he was expelled from the TMC in 2019, allegedly for 'anti-party activities'.
He secured a BJP ticket for the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 but lost to the TMC’s actor-turned-politician Mimi Chakraborty by almost 3 lakh votes.
In 2020, Hazra was appointed as national secretary by the BJP’s central leadership. Earlier last year, the BJP leadership reappointed Hazra as national secretary for a second consecutive term.
Confrontations & Controversies
In 2015, a year after the Bolpur constituency had elected him, Hazra entered into a confrontation with Visva-Bharati University after the varsity authorities restricted him from taking classes after he took extensive leaves to attend the Parliament sessions.
In June 2015, Visva-Bharati University dismissed him as an assistant professor. On his part, he accused the varsity of terminating his job “illegally” for his bid to “raise his voice against corruption at the university”.
In June 2018, he won a lawsuit against the Centre and Visva-Bharati University, which led to his reinstatement as an assistant professor. But the controversies did not end here.
During this period, Hazra had often criticised the leadership of TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal.
He alleged that despite being an MP, Hazra could not work freely due to the influence of the party satraps like Mondal. Upset by his “rebellious attitude” and “anti-party activities”, the TMC expelled Hazra from the party in January 2019.
In February 2019, Hazra joined the BJP and was fielded from the Jadavpur constituency in South 24 Parganas district in the Lok Sabha polls.
During this election, he courted trouble for bringing former WWE wrestler Khali to campaign for him. The TMC registered a complaint with the Election Commission against him, alleging that Khali, a US citizen since 2014, is not allowed to campaign in India.
More recently, in December 2023, Hazra set up a stall in Poush Mela (an annual fair) in Santiniketan, where he appealed to the BJP’s dissidents and aggrieved workers to register their grievances.
A political analyst, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Quint, "In the Poush Mela that was held last week, there were two stalls set up -- one by the official BJP and the other by the Anupam Hazra faction. The two stalls were facing each other. This goes to show that he has fallen out of favour with his bosses."
In November 2023, he even joined the protest and shared the podium organised by the TMC on Visva-Bharati University's decision to omit Rabindranath Tagore’s name from the heritage plaques.
After this series of "anti-party" posts and incidents, the Union Home Ministry, under Amit Shah, withdrew his Y-category security in August. But still he refused to buck and continued with his posts. Even The Statesman reported that Hazra does not share cordial relations with neither BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar nor former president Dilip Ghosh and even with the BJP Birbhum district president Dhruba Saha.
What Triggered His Removal?
On 24 December, in a social media post, Hazra accused state BJP leaders of allegedly siphoning funds in the name of the Gita Path programme at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.
He alleged that the passes for the event were sold for Rs 1,000 per head by the party leaders, demanding a probe into the matter.
“Some VIP passes were made for Gita Path for some VIP people. It was given to block-level leaders of the BJP to be given to some people. However, in Birbhum’s Nalhati, these cards are being sold for Rs 1,000,” he wrote in the post.
The West Bengal BJP has declined to comment on the decision to remove Hazra from his post and attributed it to the central leadership.
BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya, known for his clashes with Hazra, told local media "The party had bestowed responsibilities upon him and has now relieved him of those. What more can we say?"
Another state BJP leader told news agency PTI the central leadership's decision was a message against dissidents within the party.
"Despite numerous warnings, Hazra continued making remarks against the state leadership, causing embarrassment to the party. Thus, the party decided to take action," said the BJP leader, who refused to be named.
What Has Hazra Said?
Hours after being removed from the BJP’s national secretary post, Hazra said in a cryptic social media post that he would get back the post if certain conditions were met.
“The party has said everything will be back to normal if certain conditions are kept,” Hazra wrote on Facebook in Bengali.
Hazra in this post wrote that the party has said everything will be back to normal if certain conditions are kept."
(Photo: Facebook/ Anupam Hazra)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)