Why attack on Bangladeshi Hindus may have earned BJP new recruits in Bengal

After analysing the outcome of the party’s membership drive that ended last week after two extensions, many in the BJP believe it has.

How membership drive gained traction

The hypothesis is based on two co-occurrences. The drive that kick-started in October with a target to enrol one crore new members, started getting some momentum only in the last part of November. This momentum was also limited to Hindu-dominated pockets of districts bordering Bangladesh.

Several BJP leaders in private linked the twin facts with the arrest of Vaishnavite monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka on November 25.

Also read: Right-wing groups warn Bangladesh, escalate tensions with fiery speeches

They say the party could hardly enrol two million members till the third week of November. “The drive started getting some traction after the arrest of Das, prompting the party to extend the deadline from November 30 to December 31,” said a BJP source. The deadline was then further extended to January 10.

The BJP added around 40 lakh new primary members in the state at the end of the six-yearly exercise.

Hindu-dominated districts sign up fast

Even though the ultimate figure is not even half of the target set by Amit Shah, the number could have been much less had it not been for the internal developments in Bangladesh, said a BJP leader, who is known to be disgruntled with the party’s present state leadership.

He said the best performing district in terms of enrolment is Nadia, a Hindu-dominated district bordering Bangladesh.

Also read: Bangladesh admits 88 communal violence cases against minorities in 2.5 months

Incidentally, Mayapur in Nadia is also the headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a leading Vaishnavite organisation.

Das, the arrested monk, was also associated with the ISKCON.

Two other bordering districts of North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur too did relatively well in the drive, the party sources said. Hindu-dominated bordering districts of Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts are reportedly among the top five performing districts.

‘Hindus now conscious of religious identity’

The BJP hit the streets in the state after the arrest of Das, urging Hindus to unitedly raise their voice against minority atrocities in Bangladesh.

The agitation gave the much-needed push to the drive, BJP leaders believe.

Also read: Bangladesh: As BNP drifts away from Yunus govt, what it means for India

It would be difficult to say whether the developments in Bangladesh directly influenced the party’s membership drive, said the BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar. But, there is no denying the fact that Hindus of West Bengal have become more conscious of their religious identity due to the recent happenings in Bangladesh, he added.

No impact in tribal belts

Much to the concern of the BJP and Majumdar, the so-called Hindu resurgence, however, seems to be limited to certain pockets as has been pointed out by the party’s membership drive.

The exercise failed to make any impact in Adivasi-dominated Jangalmahal areas, once considered a BJP stronghold. In most south Bengal districts, barring Nadia, the drive was lacklustre.

Also read: Bangladesh link under India's scanner for 'import' of explosives, training militants

The biggest worry for the BJP at the end of the drive is that though the party got around 40 lakh new primary members, the number of active members could not even cross 40,000 which is not half of the total number of booths in West Bengal. The state has around 80,000 booths.

As per the BJP’s organisational rule, a member is promoted to active member on enrolling 100 new primary members. In the case of Bengal, the rule has been relaxed to 50. Yet, most of the members failed to achieve the target.