Even at this puja, Shah would be present as Union home minister — not the BJP chief — and no other leader from his party would be allowed to accompany him, said a member of the organising committee. However, even at this puja, Shah would be present as Union home minister — not the BJP chief — and no other leader from his party would be allowed to accompany him, said a member of the organising committee. The BJ block puja committee is headed by local BJP leader Umashankar Ghosh Dastidar but comprises several Trinamul leaders. BJP state general-secretary Sayantan Basu said Shah’s office picked the BJ block puja from a list of five sent to him. Several BJP insiders admitted in private that they found it “very difficult” to get such a puja to invite Shah because of Trinamul’s hegemony on the puja scene in Calcutta and its immediate neighbourhood.

Source: The Telegraph September 29, 2019 20:03 UTC