Expelled BJP leader files an RTI against Bengal party chief Dilip Ghosh

KOLKATA: A BJP leader from Bengal on Wednesday filed an RTI (Right to Information) against the state party president Dilip Ghosh alleging that Ghosh had given false statement before the Election Commission Of India about his academic qualifications.

Ghosh, when contacted, told ET that the leader who had filed the RTI was expelled from the party and was trying to disturb him.

"There is no compulsion on my part to respond to the allegation levelled against me by an expelled leader. He is, in fact, trying to disturb and embarrass me. A deep rooted conspiracy is being hatched against me and the allegation about my academic qualification might be a part of that," Ghosh told ET.


The expelled leader Ashok Sarkar told ET on Wednesday that he had filed an RTI against Ghosh.

"The Bengal party chief had informed the Election Commission Of India that he was a diploma engineer and had obtained his diploma from the Jhargram Polytechnique. But no such polytechnique do exist in our state. I want to know why Ghosh, who is leading the party in Bengal, had given a false statement about his academic qualification," said Sarkar.

Ghosh had won Kharagpur Town constituency during last year's Assembly elections.

BJP insiders do not rule out the conspiracy theory. "Mamata Banerjee's government is engaged in hatching conspiracies against our leaders after the CBI arrested two of her MPs including their Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay in connection with their probe into chit fund scams. The police has already arrested one of our state leaders Joyprakash Majumder. Attempts are being made by Bengal police to implicate falsely many of our leaders including Ghosh in criminal cases. Filing an RTI against our party chief might be a part of such conspiracies," said a senior BJP leader preferring anonymity.

BJP sources, however, made it clear that they would not go for any agitation or movement opposing arrests of their leaders.

"It is Mamata Banerjee's party which held demonstration at the CBI office here after the agency arrested Banyopadhyay . Trinamool Congress activists had also attacked our state party office on the day of arrest of their Lok Sabha leader. We have no plan to go for such violent movement. Neither we will gherao and attack Trinamool Congress office. We will definitely provide legal help to our leaders who would be facing arrests in the days ahead. But at the same time, we wish to make it clear that any of our arrested leaders would have to get clean chit from courts," said a senior BJP leader.