Kolkata: BJP president JP Nadda will have a discussion on the problems of the jute industry with West Bengal party MP Arjun Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday. Singh has been up in arms against the Centre’s policy on jute prices, in the last few weeks, and has raised concerns about rising jute prices. Singh had threatened to protest against the Centre’s decision to cap jute price and lend support to Trinamool on the issue in a well-crafted move.
The official topic on the discussion notwithstanding, Singh’s visit comes at a time when he has been critical of the state unit of the party too. Ahead of leaving Kolkata for the meeting, Singh on Monday raised concerns about the leadership capabilities of the state BJP. “If there are issues which are a matter of concern, I will always raise them in public,” he said and added that the Bengal BJP was “like a judge who cannot give a verdict.”
Singh’s candid criticism has made BJP wary about the possibility of his defection to the All India Trinamool Congress. Seven BJP MLAs defected to the AITC, within a year of the assembly polls. Babul Supriyo, who was a Lok Sabha MP, too joined the Trinamool Congress.