West Bengal BJP Chief Dilip Ghosh recently courted controversy after he said that state governments should shoot down those damaging public property “like dogs”, as was “done by the BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Assam”. While Ghosh’s comment received widespread condemnation (even from the BJP), observers of West Bengal politics would attest to the fact that this is not the first (and will certainly not be the last) time that Ghosh has made such vitriolic comments.
In the five years that Ghosh has been President of the Bengal BJP, he has put his foot in his mouth several times. However, many believe that given Ghosh’s background, his elevation to the presidential post is served by his comments. Let’s take a look at how Ghosh was co-opted by the Bengal BJP, and whether his comments should be forgotten as “one-offs” or be taken seriously.