KOLKATA: Actress-turned-BJP leader Roopa Ganguly on Thursday said her nomination to Rajya Sabha has given her “a platform to raise several issues concerning West Bengal in Parliament”.
“I did not join the BJP with the hope of getting a post. This nomination to Rajya Sabha is a plus and I am thankful to President Pranab Mukherjee for it. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given us multiple reasons to fight against her government. Now, I have got a platform to raise several issues which need immediate attention,” she said.
Ms Ganguly on Thursday was felicitated by West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh and the leaders of the party’s women’s wing at the state BJP headquarters.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Ghosh said, “It is a proud moment for the state BJP leadership that another leader from West Bengal has been nominated to Rajya Sabha. With Ms Ganguly, we now have two Rajya Sabha MPs from the state.”
Actor-turned-BJP leader George Baker is the other Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal.
Former state BJP chief and the party’s national secretary Rahul Sinha, however, claimed he was not invited to the felicitation ceremony.
“It is good news that she (Ganguly) has been nominated to Rajya Sabha. However, I was not invited to the felicitation ceremony. It seems, we have lost importance as the party is doing well. We will be given importance again when the party goes through a difficult phase,” Mr Sinha said.
PTI