As Twitter and the media went on a fastest-finger-first contest guessing who will make it to or be removed from the Union Cabinet, a separate sub-discussion ensued in Bengal’s political circles on the potential new ministers from the state.
Two names that always were always speculated (and were the first to be confirmed) were that of Cooch Behar MP, Nisith Pramanik and MP from Bongaon, Shantanu Thakur. Both Thakur and Pramanik are from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
However, the two names that came as a surprise to many are that of Bankura MP, Subhash Sarkar and Alipurduar MP John Barla, also from the BJP.
Probably the most surprised, though, was Saumitra Khan, BJP MP from Bengal’s Bishnupur and president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in the state.
As confirmed reports of the 4 Bengal MPs made the rounds, Khan, in a Facebook live, announced his decision to quit as BJYM president, hitting out at the BJP’s Bengal president Dilip Ghosh and its leader of opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.
Khan’s outburst is symptomatic of a problem that the Bengal BJP has been facing since the state elections- that of keeping their flock together. And the Cabinet reshuffle may cause problems in an already factionalised organization.