Ex-HC Judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay Will Be An Asset For BJP, Unless The Party Lets Him Become A Liability

The impending entry of Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who stepped down as a judge of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday (5 March), into Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will undoubtedly be a significant advantage for the saffron party in Bengal. 

Gangopadhyay, who was due to retire in July this year, has gained fame as a fearless dispenser of justice who defied brickbats and more from the Trinamool Congress to order probes by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the various scams that have rocked Bengal. 

The probes by central agencies that he ordered have ensnared many top Trinamool leaders, earning him the party’s wrath and a lot of praise from not only opposition parties, but also all sections of people of the state. 

The popular, though controversial, judge announced on Tuesday that he would be joining the BJP on Thursday (March 7). BJP leaders told Swarajya that Gangopadhyay may be fielded by the party from the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat which was won by Dibyendu Adhikari (brother of leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari) in 2019. 

Tamluk is a safe seat for the BJP and is part of the Adhikari family’s turf. Gangopadhyay is believed to have a good equation with Suvendu Adhikari and also the latter’s father Sisir Adhikari who is the Member of Parliament (MP) from neighbouring constituency of Kathi. 

Gangopadhyay may also be asked to campaign for BJP candidates in other seats. He is well-known throughout the state and is perceived to be a courageous and virtuous person. Using him as a campaigner will undoubtedly prove advantageous for the BJP. 

But the BJP needs to be cautious and lay out the dos and don’ts to Gangopadhyay before inducting him into the party. 

The zealous crusader against corruption that he is, Gangopadhyay is also known to be quite temperamental and indiscreet in his utterings. Many observations that he had made as a judge have earned him criticism, some of it justified. 

Even the Supreme Court had frowned on some of his statements and actions, and had reversed a couple of his orders against the state government and Trinamool leaders. 

The BJP has to make it clear to Gangopadhyay that he cannot be a loose cannon and has to abide strictly by party discipline and norms. The BJP is, after all, a disciplined party and the party comes before the individual, no matter how high a position he is in. 

Gangopadhyay has the habit of indulging in plainspeak that can, however, be a liability in politics and embarrass the party. Hence, he has to be told firmly and clearly that he has to exercise utmost restraint. 

Gangopadhyay’s commitment to the BJP’s core Hindutva agenda is also unclear. He had once been close to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) and was mentored as a young lawyer by senior CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya who is now a Rajya Sabha MP. 

Bhattacharyya is a senior lawyer and practises both in the Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court. Gangopadhyay’s contemporaries in the legal profession told Swarajya that the former Calcutta High Court judge was known for his Marxist leanings when he was a lawyer. 

Gangopadhyay has a portrait of Karl Marx prominently displayed in the living room of his residence in Kolkata’s Salt Lake. 

Gangopadhyay’s early ideological bent of mind can turn out to be problematic for the BJP. True, a number of communists have seen the light and joined the BJP in recent years. And they now  espouse the BJP’s ideology. But there’s no harm being absolutely sure about Gangopadhyay’s leaning before inducting him into the party. 

The BJP has to ensure that Gangopadhyay commits himself fully to the party’s ideology and sheds all intellectual attachments or inclinations to Marxism. 

Getting Gangopadhyay to commit himself publicly to the BJP’s ideology and asking him to undertake a quick trip to the new Ram Mandir at Ayodhya would be a good way to ensure that. 

The BJP leadership also has to make it clear to Gangopadhyay that he has to function as a team member and cannot plough a lonely furrow. 

As a High Court judge, Gangopadhyay used to function pretty independently. He has gotten used to this style of functioning. 

Gangopadhyay is also not known to be much of a team person. But that won’t do in politics, especially in the BJP. This should be made clear to the ex-judge. 

Another prominent trait of Gangopadhyay that the BJP has to ask him to work on is his impatience with those who oppose him or disagree with him. Gangopadhyay had invited censure in the past for his criticism of even fellow judges. 

Gangopadhyay should be made to understand that he has to exercise caution while speaking and cannot allow himself to be carried away by his zeal. 

Politics, Gangopadhyay has to learn, is all about compromises and striking a fine balance. It is also about working as a team, taking even opponents along, and being circumspect at all times.

That said, Gangopadhyay will undoubtedly be an asset for the BJP. But the BJP leadership has to ensure that he continues to be an asset, and does not turn into a liability. He has to be kept on a tight leash to prevent that from happening.