KOLKATA: Suvendu Adhikari was on Friday unanimously elected the BJP legislative party leader at a meeting of newly elected MLAs in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah, paving the way for him to become Bengal’s ninth chief minister.Making the announcement after a 30-minute closed-door meeting with the MLAs, Shah said, “Eight proposals were received at the meeting and all of them had only one name. Adequate time was given for a second name, but no other name was proposed. Therefore, I announce Suvendu Adhikari as the chief minister of Bengal.”He added, “I have known Suvendu for long. He is a fighter and has been in administration, too. He, along with our team, will be successful in delivering good governance in Bengal. He has fought, and his fight has brought results today.”
BJP seniors said this is also a personal validation for Shah, who was instrumental in bringing Adhikari from Trinamool to BJP in 2020.Shortly after the announcement, Adhikari met governor RN Ravi and staked claim to form the next govt. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Brigade Parade Grounds at 10 am Saturday and will be attended by PM Narendra Modi, senior Union ministers and CMs of NDA-goverened states.Adhikari will be the second Bengal CM from Midnapore after Ajoy Mukherjee.Declaring that the new govt under Adhikari will work to fulfill the dream of “Sonar Bangla”, Shah said the new govt’s focus will be on development, infrastructure and good governance.
He vowed that “politicisation of administration and criminalisation of politics” will end in Bengal. “When criminals become political netas, there cannot be any development. The new CM will end cut-money culture and the rule of musclemen in a few months,” he added.Adhikari, who credited the “historic mandate” to PM Modi’s leadership, said his govt will “talk less, work more – that will be our motto as we start work”. He added, “In our governance, there will be no ‘I’, only ‘we’. There is no place for what I or someone personally thinks in this govt. Here, the party and organisation come first and we will work accordingly.”Shah, who thanked Bengal’s people for the “massive” mandate, said the victory holds immense significance for the party, as it represents the culmination of a long ideological journey toward achieving BJP governance.Suvendu promises fresh panels to probe RG Kar, Sandeshkhali casesThanking the people of Bhowanipore, he said, “Suvendu da defeated Didi in the last election. In an interview Didi had said that she went to Suvendu da’s home to fight him. This time Suvendu da has defeated Didi in her own home.”Asking BJP functionaries to live up to “the expectation of the people,” he said, “I would like to remind you that the hopes of people were reflected in their mandate. We will try to live up to that. The faith of the people should never be hurt.”Terming the win as a freedom from fear, he added, “Ratna Debnath (the RG Kar victim’s mother) is a symbol of protest against torture of women. Rekha Patra is the symbol of protest against torture in Sandeshkhali. Kalita Maji is a symbol of hope against poverty.” All three are MLAs now.Adhikari, who asked his party colleagues “not to become complacent,” said, “This time, people of Bengal have blessed us with their mandate. But our motto should be to walk on a path of development so that we can raise our vote share from 46% to 60%.” He added that the new govt will honour all promises made during the election campaign and indicated that several high-profile controversies under the outgoing administration will be revisited. “From Sandeshkhali to RG Kar, there will be fresh commissions for all such cases,” he said.Adhikari also warned of strict action against alleged corruption and misuse of public resources under the previous govt. Setting out the ideological framework of the incoming administration, Adhikari said the govt will draw inspiration from Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy along with PM Modi’s vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”.