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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  I have no aspiration to become the BJP’s face in West Bengal: Roopa Ganguly
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I have no aspiration to become the BJP’s face in West Bengal: Roopa Ganguly

Newly-minted Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly's assertion is contrary to what Dilip Ghosh, president of BJP's West Bengal unit, feels

A file photo of actor and BJP leader Roopa Ganguly. Photo: Indranil Bhoumik/MintPremium
A file photo of actor and BJP leader Roopa Ganguly. Photo: Indranil Bhoumik/Mint

Kolkata: Actor Roopa Ganguly’s fast rise within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become a Rajya Sabha member of parliament (MP) in about a year of joining mainstream politics has left sections of party workers in West Bengal fuming.

Still, the president of party’s state unit, Dilip Ghosh, says Ganguly might in time emerge to be the face of the BJP in West Bengal. She might be a greenhorn in politics, but as an actor Ganguly commands a great deal of respect in West Bengal. She says she has given up on acting to focus on politics. But, at the same time, she has no aspiration to lead the BJP in West Bengal. There is no such mandate either, she says.

But it is clear to her mind that she will use her leverage as a Rajya Sabha MP to only voice her concerns about West Bengal—the only constituency she represents.

Edited excerpts from an interview:

You were close to several Left leaders such as former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. How come you joined the BJP?

I am aware that there was a general opinion among people that I was close to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, among other Left leaders. Yes, I was close to them because I had to work closely with the state government. I started a festival of short films produced for television, and as the secretary of the organisation that ran it I used to work very closely with the state government. But that doesn’t mean I was politically left leaning. At that time I didn’t have any political affiliation at all. Ours was a family of engineers with no political affiliation; art and culture were the only things that we discussed at home.

So why did you join the BJP?

I had moved to Mumbai in 2006 and lived there for around six years while West Bengal was going through a political upheaval. After I returned to Kolkata in February 2012, and started to work here, I realized how things had changed here.

The culture in Kolkata’s studios had completely changed: I found politics to be all pervasive. The people in power would interfere with everything, and you needed political influence to get anything done. Also, I was appalled by the way people spoke and behaved in public. This was hardly the people I knew. The cultural degradation took me by surprise.

My decision to join politics was a reaction to these realisations. And clearly you couldn’t blame only the people in power for the current situation. To my mind, it is the result of a political process that we have gone through.

Let me cite an example. Previously, the Left would appoint teachers from among its dedicated supporters with almost no regard for merit. That system created jobs for a handful of people, but at a huge cost of destroying the entire education system, which, in a way, explains the cultural degradation.

So when I decided to join politics, there was no alternative to the BJP.

Your entry into electoral politics was quite fast...

The BJP first approached me to contest the 2014 general election. Everybody told me that the party would make sure I won. At that time, everybody talked about the perks of becoming an MP. But I didn’t agree.

You see, I always knew nothing comes free in life. So, I had to first understand what I had to deliver in return. I took time and joined the BJP in 2015. But almost everyone close to me discouraged: they said I wouldn’t last long in politics. When I agreed to contest the assembly election this year, it was clear in my mind what it meant.

Have you given up on your acting career?

When I formally joined the BJP last year, I was working on four films. So, I said that I will complete these projects and won’t sign up for any more. I have completed these projects, most of them by March-April, and I have since not taken any new project.

I believe in single-minded devotion, so now I am focused completely on politics.

The BJP in West Bengal appears to be divided over your nomination to the Rajya Sabha. How would you deal with the dissidents?

Well, if there are people within the BJP who are not happy about my becoming a Rajya Sabha MP, I am afraid I can’t do anything about it. I am only following the diktat of the top leadership. I am in Rajya Sabha because the party wanted it.

But if you are to emerge as the party’s face in West Bengal politics, how do you plan to deal with the grudging section?

I have no aspiration to become the BJP’s face in West Bengal. I don’t think there is any such mandate immediately. For now, there’s so much to learn. But yes, even as a Rajya Sabha MP, I will continue to work for West Bengal—this is the only constituency I represent.

The BJP in West Bengal is struggling to establish its secular credentials. With a 30% Muslim population, how does the BJP expand its support base in West Bengal?

I have a slightly different view on secularism. I wonder why we still think of people as Hindus, Muslims, Christians and so on.

Politicians play that card only for political gains. For instance, they would build schools for Muslims and claim credit for it. Why? If a neighbourhood needs a school, you should build it, but not to benefit any community—it should be built because people need it. It’s the same thing with castes. Sadly, politicians exploit these social fault lines for personal gains.

Yes, this has become a culture and it won’t change quickly. I am not sure how the BJP will deal with it in West Bengal; I am still learning. I can only say, I don’t know how, but it will happen.

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Published: 10 Oct 2016, 10:25 AM IST
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