Tiger Is Back’ Posters Put Dilip Ghosh Back in Spotlight, Trigger Political Row in Bengal

The politics at West Bengal is back in the limelight. This is because the senior BJP leader, Dilip Ghosh, has returned to prominence. Advertisements with the slogan Tiger Is Back were put up in the state in various sections. They brought about a strong political response. This also led to a resurgence of discussion regarding internal processes in BJP. The posters were identified at the Kalyani Expressway. The posters feature Dilip Ghosh standing next to a picture of a Royal Bengal Tiger. The text reads Bengal Tiger Is Back. The timing of the posters has attracted attention. They were placed just as Ghosh was making his reappearance in public. On Tuesday Dilip Ghosh was part of the BJP Paribartan Sankalp Yatra in Ranaghat. He had been on the same platform with state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya. Ghosh spoke aggressively in his usual style. He launched an attack on party workers.

This got huge applause among the BJP supporters for the Trinamool Congress. The Trinamool Congress responded by acting promptly. The party spokesperson Tanmay Ghosh denied the posters. He explained that the people of West Bengal were not interested in the political activities of Dilip Ghosh. He says the coming back of Ghosh will not affect the state politics but could affect the intra-BJP leadership balance. The Trinamool also dragged Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari into the debate in its criticism. The party opined that the re-emerged projection of Dilip Ghosh might have a political repercussion within the BJP party. It would not affect the outside world. Dilip Ghosh was no longer taking active part in key BJP programmes in a number of months. This coincided with a visit to Digha on April 30 last year. During his visit, he paid a visit to the Jagannath Temple. There, he interacted with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The speculation following that meeting was on his political future.

The speculation persisted even when the BJP leaders reiterated that Dilip Ghosh was still in the party. The story became different with Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister who met Ghosh on his latest visit to Bengal. Ghosh soon followed this by saying that he has been requested back to active politics by Amit Shah. To deal with the issue of internal divisions, the former state BJP President Sukanta Majumdar denied the accusations of factionalism. He speculated about the individuals behind the posters. He argued that political opponents might be responsible for putting them up. Sukanta Majumdar reiterated that the BJP is in harmony. He said the party is preparing collaboratively. They aim to overcome Trinamool Congress in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. Debate has been sparked off clearly with the re-emergence of Dilip Ghosh as political reactions take place. It is yet to be determined whether it is a comeback on a strategic level or merely a symbolic outlook. At least, the Tiger Is Back story has now become part of Bengal politics.