BJP National President Nitin Naveen’s “arrow” has simultaneously hit several “targets.” Thus, the BJP President has communicated a message of cooperation between local party workers and external officials.
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Nitin Naveen’s brilliant move
Two days in a row, the National President of the BJP personally issued a “reprimand.” The “visiting” party workers—those BJP officials who had come to West Bengal from other states expressly to help in the state elections—seemed to be the main targets of the National President’s warning. But later on, it was discovered that the BJP National President had fired a single “arrow” that had simultaneously hit three different “targets.”
The visiting employees who were accused of “slacking off” have now been placed on high alert. The state BJP faction that was previously unhappy with these visiting workers is now happy. Additionally, the visiting workers have focused entirely on quickly resolving a variety of concerns in various areas—problems that the state BJP unit had previously been finding difficult to handle.
Nitin Navin’s advice
Nitin Navin. Photo: Collected.
On March 24 and 25, Nitin Navin, the national president of the BJP, traveled to West Bengal. He spoke with different factions of the party over two days in a row, and during each meeting, he issued a strong warning to the “migrant leaders”—those who have traveled from outside the state to help with the elections. Meetings were held on the first day with representatives from several party departments, election candidates, and the district leadership of the Kolkata and Howrah-Hooghly-Midnapore zones. Representatives from a number of affiliate groups, such as the youth and women’s wings, were called to sessions on the second day.
“Migrant party workers” (Karyakartas) of various ranks have come to West Bengal from different states in order to support the party and its numerous affiliate bodies. They are responsible for managing the party’s election-related operations. While some operate at the divisional, district, or assembly constituency levels, others work at the zonal level. While some work for particular affiliate wings, others are directly employed by the main party structure. They received a clear message from Nitin: if they don’t like their jobs, they may quit, but if they decide to stay, they had to be ready to put in endless hours for the party.
He underlined that they must be prepared to put in “sleepless nights” to forward the cause when needed. Nitin reminded them that they were not here for a vacation but rather as electoral campaigners. According to him, “Let no one harbor the illusion that this is merely an 8-to-5 job.” Additionally, he suggested that they limit their sleep to no more than four or five hours each night.
Prabasi karyakarta problem
It would be more accurate, according to a BJP insider, to describe this not as a “reprimand,” but rather as a warning from Nitin to those who have become tired that now is not the moment for fatigue. “The idea that none of the ‘outsiders’ are working is incorrect,” said a BJP representative from North 24 Parganas. After being stationed in West Bengal for months on end, the great majority are working really hard. It is true, though, that some of these visiting employees are taking time off to go home or are slacking off; they were the target of this warning.
“There were indeed some visiting functionaries who arrived but fled after only a short stay,” said a leader in charge of an organizational district in South 24 Parganas. This leader claims that “He was a resident of Delhi proper—accustomed to a thoroughly urban lifestyle.” He has been tasked with overseeing a Sundarbans Assembly constituency.
For months at a time, he had to live in that particular constituency region. He was unable to stay there because he could not find accommodations or the food he was used to. Nevertheless, BJP sources assert that the person who replaced this “absconding” official has successfully adapted to the local environment and is now performing his duties in an efficient manner.
The two BJP leaders from the two Paraganas districts seem to be happy about the arrival of these visiting “functionaries,” but not everyone in the state BJP is. In recent months, a number of people have been seen complaining about these leaders coming from other states, even inside the state BJP headquarters. The state BJP has been tasked with a wide range of duties, including deciding where these guests would stay, what they will eat, how to organize cooks to accommodate their particular dietary requirements, and who will oversee the logistics of their transportation. Many party members had “objections” to taking on this extra “burden” of work; these “objections” eventually turned into outright “resentment” in the case of visitors with very high expectations.