SENIOR BJP leader Dilip Ghosh, who missed Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s Durgapur programme on Friday, said on Saturday that he met the party’s national president JP Nadda at his residence in New Delhi.

Ghosh said that he had a “fruitful discussion” with Nadda. “I have had a detailed conversation with him regarding the Sangathan, regarding the preparations for the coming election in Bengal and he told me to carry on working. Certainly, it was an important meeting.”

Amid speculation that a key post may be given to him, Ghosh said, “Whatever decision is taken by the party that is what we will follow and if the party decides to give any responsibility, that will be announced. Let’s wait for that.”

Ghosh announced that on July 21, the BJP will organise a programme to pay tribute to BJP workers who were killed by the ruling TMC in Bengal. “On July 21, there will be a big programme organised in Kharagpur. In Bengal around 250 BJP workers have been killed by TMC…” he claimed.

The TMC did not immediately react to Ghosh’s allegations.

Ghosh has remained absent from important party events and rallies in the recent past, including events attended by PM Modi at Alipurduar and Home Minister Amit Shah in Kolkata this year.

Amid reports of a souring relationship between Ghosh and the state BJP leadership, the newly appointed West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya met Ghosh on July 8 this year.

After their in-person meeting, Bhattacharya described Ghosh as the “heart and soul” of the party .

Ghosh has served as a national vice president and is also a former state president of the BJP. Under his leadership, the BJP had won 18 out of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

He was earlier elected as an MP from Medinipur in 2019 and an MLA from Kharagpur Sadar in 2016.