Former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay joins BJP

Former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay on Tuesday joined the BJP, amid flak from Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

“Today, I have joined a new field. I am happy to join the BJP and will work as a party soldier. Our objective is to oust the corrupt TMC regime from the state,” Gangopadhyay said after his official joining.

He was given a grand welcome at the BJP office in Kolkata, as West Bengal party president Sukanta Majumdar handed him the party flag.

Earlier on Tuesday, just a few hours after submitting his resignation as judge of the Calcutta High Court to President Droupadi Murmu, Gangopadhyay had said, “I will join BJP…most probably on March 7.”

“West Bengal’s politics needs a person like Abhijit Gangopadhyay,” BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the leader of the opposition in the assembly, said after the former judge joined the saffron party.

Significantly, Gangopadhyay had given several orders in the alleged West Bengal school jobs scams. He passed several orders directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to investigate the alleged scams. Job aspirants, who were protesting against the state government, hailed the intervention of him.

The Trinamool Congress leadership has often targeted him and described his interventions as “politically motivated”.

On Thursday, Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal Chief Minister, launched a scathing attack on Gangopadhyay.

“A BJP babu was sitting on the bench and now he has joined the BJP. How can you expect justice from them? The mask is off,” Banerjee said while addressing a gathering here.

“After denying jobs to thousands of students, he has become a leader. Be ready. Wherever you contest from, I will send students to fight you. Remember, the people will judge you now,” she said.

Talking to the media on Tuesday, the former judge said, “I have been forced to take this step (to join politics) due to taunts and statements by the ruling party. A judge cannot be personally attacked. That is exactly what they had been doing. The ruling party insulted me many times. They had been constantly abusing me since many of their corrupt activities were getting revealed every day. Their taunts and statements inspired me to take this step.” He was up for retirement later this year.

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