Kolkata, Jan 25 (PTI) The infighting in Bengal BJP deepened on Tuesday with suspended BJP leader Jaiprakash Majumdar slamming the party leadership for undermining "old-timers" and giving more prominence to new-comers, while lauding chief minister Mamata Banerjee"s "street fighter" capabilities. Majumdar, who along with Ritesh Tiwari, was suspended for allegedly violating party discipline, hit out at the state leadership accusing it of compromising with Trinamool Congress and having a tacit understanding with Prashant Kirshor-run consultancy I-PAC. He also ridiculed the state BJP, calling it a team run by a "team of rookies" with no chance against a seasoned politician like the feisty TMC boss. “Old-timers and seasoned leaders have no place in the state unit. Leaders from others parties, agents of the TMC, are now calling the shots. "The BJP faced defeat in the assembly polls as leaders were running it from other states, (who) vanished after the defeat. At present, too, the BJP is being run by a few outsiders. This will prove to be fatal for the BJP in the state,” Majumdar said while addressing a press conference along with Tiwari. At the same time in the course of the press meet, Majumdar lauded Banerjee as a “street fighter” and said the state BJP depended more on “running to courts” on every issue rather than organizing street protests against the TMC. Mocking the state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and state general secretary (organization), Amitabha Chakraborty, for lack of political experience, he said "it appears Bengal BJP is a team of rookies playing against Lionel Messi-led Argentina, and that too after only three days of practice." "The entire country considers Mamata Banerjee, a national-level leader with great maturity and political wisdom. We might have political differences, but we have to accept the truth," the BJP leader said. For good measure, Majumder fulminated there was "no review of party"s debacle in assembly polls. Whenever the cause of defeat was sought to be analyzed, our leaders avoided any reference. Even the mike was turned mute during a zoom meeting." Both Majumder and Tiwari were show-caused on Sunday and were temporarily suspended from the party till the investigations against them were over. The two leaders had participated in a meeting convened by union minister Shantanu Thakur, an influential leader of the sizeable Matua community in the state, over a week ago in Kolkata. They were present when Thakur, the union minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways, castigated a section of the state leaders. Discontent had been brewing ever since the state leadership had omitted several Matua leaders from various sub-committees. The union minister had held a picnic with several disgruntled BJP leaders in his Bongaon constituency a few days ago. The two senior BJP leaders, who were dropped from the new office bearers committee last year, were on Sunday issued a show-cause notice by the state unit. Both were vice-presidents of the state unit in the previous committee, and Majumdar was named one of the spokespersons in the new state committee announced a month ago. Tiwari was not included in the committee. "What crime have I committed by standing by the side of Shantanu Thakur, a union minister, when he is speaking to the press? How can that be construed as anti-party activity or breaching discipline?" he questioned. Majumdar, who had joined BJP from Congress in 2014, said he has never said anything against the party. “I would like to know under which rule of the party constitution, both of us were suspended. This is not only unethical but also violates the party discipline,” he said. While reacting to the allegations, West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said the party is not bound to inform Majumdar under which rule the action was taken against the duo. “There is no such rule in the party constitution which forces us to inform them under which rule action was taken. Secondly, all the steps have been taken following the party rules and regulations,” he said. However, senior BJP leader Tathagata Roy came out to support the duo and said, "it seemed it was pre-decided that both would be suspended". "Something seems to be rotten in the party. Without giving any scope of defending themselves, the two leaders were suspended. This is unprecedented. I have known Ritesh for a long time; he is a dedicated party worker for more than three decades," Roy, who has been lashing out at the state leadership since the West Bengal poll debacle, said. The ruling TMC lost no time in taking a dig at the ongoing tiff in the saffron camp. "The BJP is a sinking ship in West Bengal. When we used to say that outsiders are running BJP, we were questioned. Now BJP leaders are saying the same thing. It is proven that outsiders call the shots in BJP," he said. PTI PNT SUS JRC JRC