Why Bengal BJP's new chief has taken a new tone on Muslims, communists
"There is a conscious effort to divide Bengal on the basis of religion. The minority community should understand we [the BJP] are not fighting against them," he said in his first speech after taking over as the Bengal BJP chief.He said the BJP was working against the "forces that shove stones in the hands of Muslim boys", adding, "We want to replace the stones in their hands with pens".In that speech he reached out to the "nationalist Muslims", asking them to work alongside the BJP to counter radicalisation.BENGAL BJP's MUSLIM, COMMUNIST OUTREACH A SURPRISEThis was an outreach that wasn't on expected lines, going by the party's projection of Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as pandering to Muslims as a vote bank.With Suvendu Adhikari in the campaign lead, the BJP had taken an aggressive campaign to consolidate Hindu votes in Bengal. Bhattacharya's promotion and the new strategy might seem running counter to the strategy of Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in Bengal Assembly, who aggressively painted Mamata and her Trinamool of minority appeasement.To an observation by India Today Magazine in an interview that he sounded more receptive towards Muslims than Suvendu Adhikari, Bhattacharya said: "We all want inclusive development and growth in Bengal. Even if the Muslims do not vote for us, our development must and will reach their homes."Not just Muslims, but Bhattacharya also reached out to communists by mentioning Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee and veteran Left leader Jyoti Basu in the same breath.Bhattacharya said Mookerjee ensured that West Bengal retained its identity during Partition, and he was helped in this mission by Communist leader Jyoti Basu, according to a PTI report.BJP'S ZERO-LOSS STRATEGY IN WEST BENGAL?So, what is behind the change in strategy of the BJP with Samik Bhattacharya holding the reins now?advertisement"For the BJP, it is a zero-loss strategy. It tried polarisation politics in Bengal in 2021 and won just 26% of the seats. So, it is likely to try out a different approach this time," political commentator Amitabh Tiwari told India Today Digital.In the 2021 election, the BJP won 77 of the 294 seats. This wasn't as encouraging coming after an intensive campaign and the 2019 Lok Sabha election in which the BJP made major gains, winning 18 of the 42 seats.Tiwari-founded Vote Vibe conducted a survey between June 7 and 21 to gauge voter sentiments in West Bengal.It found 43% of the respondents saying that they agreed with the BJP's accusation that Mamata indulged in minority appeasement politics. While 34% said they didn't believe in the BJP's charges.More interestingly, the survey found that the issue of religious polarisation came fifth on the list of issues of importance that was dominated by unemployment, price rise, corruption, and law and order.This survey was conducted after the riots in Murshidabad over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, in May, when the polarising factor was at its peak.advertisementBhattacharya's strategy in Bengal also reflects the BJP's broader plan of attracting certain categories of Muslims."Muslims aren't a homogenous community. And no party has tried to exploit the different segments within the community like the BJP has tried to. Take for example the wooing of the Pasmandas," says Tiwari.The BJP might also have realised after the 2021 polls that it won't be able to win Bengal by consolidation of Hindu votes and needs to get in all anti-Trinamool voters together.That must be behind Bhattacharya's bid to attract anti-Trinamool Left voters with the mention of Mookerjee and Basu.BJP TRYING TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN BENGAL MUSLIMS, BANGLADESHIS?The new strategy with a fresh face at the helm could be the result of a reassessment in the BJP camp after the 2021 election and the post-poll violence that saw BJP members being attacked and killed."Samik Bhattacharya is an urban face, just like Jyoti Basu and Buddhadev Bhattacharya were. It is the bhadralok who set the agenda, and the BJP might be trying a different narrative by bringing in Bhattacharya," says Tiwari.With reference to "nationalist Muslims", Bhattacharya might be trying to make a clear distinction between indigenous Muslims and the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.advertisement"Just like fish can't survive without water, Mamata can't survive without illegal Bangladeshi Muslims," the Bengal BJP posted on July 10.KALIAGANJ BYPOLL RESULT AND BENGAL'S DEMOGRAPHYThe demography of West Bengal too must have forced a rethink in the BJP's strategy.Muslims make up around 30% of the state's population with districts like Murshidabad, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Birbhum and South 24 Parganas having substantial minority numbers.And it isn't just about getting Muslim votes, even retaining Hindu votes is a challenge. That was evident from the result of the Kaliganj Assembly bypoll declared on June 23.Trinamool's Alifa Ahmed won by a significant margin over the BJP's Ashish Ghosh in an area where over 48% of the electorate belongs to minority communities, according to a report in The Indian Express.The BJP candidate's defeat also saw its vote share dip from 31% in 2021 to 28.2% in the bypoll, "prompting the Trinamool to emphasise how BJP had failed to hold on to even its majority community votes", The Times of India reported.It is keeping in mind the likelihood of slipping of votes and the zero-loss strategy that has made the BJP in West Bengal take to a new strategy of wooing Muslims and communists. And Samik Bhattacharya is conveying that to the voters.- EndsTrending Reel
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