PM Modi's Brigade rally: BJP clarifies about Mithun, Ganguly

As West Bengal BJP is gearing up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Brigade rally in Kolkata on March 7, where the party is expecting to see a gathering of around 10 lakh people, it has also cleared the air about Mithun Chakraborty, Sourav Ganguly attending the meeting — speculation doing the rounds ahead of the mega event. In BJP's clarification, however, there is no dismissal.

Two names that have been doing the rounds are Mithun Chakraborty, who was a Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP till 2016, and Indian cricket board president Sourav Ganguly. The speculations are two-fold: they are likely to attend PM Modi's mega-event and also likey to join the BJP.

On Mithun Chakraborty, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said he is welcome to attend the event. But it will be an event of only PM and the public. Terming PM Modi the biggest celebrity, Vijayvaargiya said, "We will welcome those coming in public, including Mithun Chakraborty."

"If he joins, it will be good for both the party and the state. And if he shares the stage with PM Modi, then people of Bengal will be happy," West Bengal BJP vice president Arjun Singh said. On whether there has been any discussion regarding this among the party workers, he said, "I am not the authorised person."

Speculations around Mithun were triggered when the actor hosted RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at his Mumbai home recently. But dismissing any political angle in it, Mithun said he had a "spiritual relationship" with Mohan Bhagwat.

"I have a spiritual relationship with him. It is a very deep spiritual relation. There was a plan that he would come to my home when he visits Mumbai. It so happened that I returned to Mumbai from Lucknow after a shoot and he too is in Mumbai. So 'jud gaye hum (we connected)'," he told reporters.

On Ganguly joining the BJP, a speculation that has been going around for quite some time, West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said he had no idea about this and this was not discussed in the meeting of the core committee either.

But will Ganguly be present at PM Modi's Brigade rally? BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said Sourav Ganguly is most welcome, if he decides to attend the programme, his health permitting.

"We know Sourav is under rest at home. If he considers attending the meeting, health and weather conditions permitting, he will be most welcome. If he is present, we think he will like it. The crowd will also like that. But we don't know. It is for him to decide," Bhattacharya said.