Tribune News Service
Shubhadeep Choudhury
New Delhi, May 6
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s dinner engagement at BCCI president Saurav Ganguly’s Kolkata residence on Friday evening has rekindled speculation about the “Dada” joining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Shah, who arrived in West Bengal on Thursday for a two-day visit of the state, wound up his tour with the dinner before flying back to Delhi late in the evening.
Ganguly told media persons that he and Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah were colleagues in the BCCI. “We know each other for a long time”, Ganguly said and added that social courtesy demanded that he invited the Home Minister for a meal at his residence.
On Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s suggestion that he must pile Shah with “misti doi” and “rosogolla”, Ganguly said it was natural that “Didi” would like Shah to be offered Bengali sweets.
Given Shah’s food preferences, it was going to be a vegetarian fare, Ganguly said.
Before heading for the Ganguly residence, Shah attended a cultural programme featuring Ganguly’s Odissi dancer wife Dona Ganguly organised by the Ministry of Culture at Kolkata’s iconic Victoria Memorial.
While the Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was invited for the Victoria Memorial function, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was ignored.
Shah reportedly had a significant role to play in Ganguly’s becoming the BCCI president.
Pressure was mounted on Ganguly by the BJP to join the party before the Assembly elections in West Bengal held last year. The former captain of the national cricket team, however, could not make up his mind and refused to take the plunge.
Ganguly was later advised by his friends and well-wishers to keep away from politics for the sake of his health.
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