WB BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya dismisses 'washing machine' claims, calling the party 'Ma Ganga' with guarded entry. He says while many TMC leaders want to join after a suspended leader praised Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP's doors are currently shut.

West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya on Sunday dismissed claims of the party acting as a "washing machine" for defecting politicians, instead comparing the BJP to the holy river Ganga, albeit one with strictly guarded banks. The comments came in response to suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Riju Dutta, who recently raised eyebrows by praising Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.

BJP is 'Ma Ganga', not a 'washing machine'

Speaking to ANI, Bhattacharya asserted that the praise from the suspended TMC leader is a precursor to a desired defection. However, he maintained that the BJP is currently not entertaining new entries from the ruling camp. Bhattacharya claimed the party is being deluged with requests from TMC insiders. Addressing the long-standing "washing machine" barb, a term used by critics to suggest that corrupt leaders are "cleaned" of their legal troubles upon joining the BJP, Bhattacharya offered a spiritual metaphor with a tactical twist. "Suvendu Adhikari is a natural leader. He defeated Mamata Banerjee twice. And he (Riju) will praise him more because he also wants to join the BJP in the future. A lot of TMC leaders are waiting to join the BJP. You can't imagine the number of phone calls and the huge queue. But we are not accepting anyone currently. We also have a filter system. A lot of things have been said about our party. Our party was called a washing machine. BJP is 'Ma Ganga'. But we have people positioned at the Ghats, choosing whom to allow to take a dip. Right now, the door is shut for any TMC leader," he said.

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'Restoration of democracy is our first priority'

Furthermore, Bhattacharya said that the first priority of the BJP in West Bengal is to restore democracy. He added that all the central schemes which could not be implemented due to TMC's rule will now be implemented in the State. "Restoration of democracy is our first priority. All the central schemes for the poor people, which were the Prime Minister's dream and could not be fulfilled due to the divisive politics of the TMC, we will implement them here. Our biggest goal is to make West Bengal an investment-friendly state," he said.

'Against the politicisation of administration'

He further criticised the Trinamool Congress for "disrupting the ecological balance" in the State and turning it into a political society. The BJP State President assured that the party will administer positive changes in West Bengal. "TMC had disrupted the ecological balance everywhere. We have to get that back on track... West Bengal was made into a political society. It is time for us to come out of a place where politics seeped into every aspect of life. Panchayat will do Panchayat work. Police will do Police work... We are against the politicisation of administration. This doesn't happen in a BJP-ruled state," he noted.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)