Suvendu Adhikari takes oath as Bengal’s first BJP Chief Minister at historic Brigade rally
Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adhikari at a grand ceremony at the Brigade Parade in the presence of union ministers and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Odisha CM Mohan Majhi and others.
The other five members who were sworn in on Saturday include former state chief minister Dilip Ghosh, former fashion designer-turned-politician and two-time BJP MP Agnimitra Paul, former Home Minister Nisith Pramanik and MLA from Matua belt Ashok Kirtania and MLA from Ranibandh (ST) Khudiram Tudu. While Kirtania represents the Matua belt, Pramanik represents the Rajbanshi, a dominant sect of people in North Bengal, and Tudu represents the tribal community.
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Dilip Ghosh was the second person to take the oath after Adhikari, followed by Paul, Kritania, Tudu and Pramanik.
Adhikari, who took oath on the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, said, “Swami Vivekananda has only one mantra: Choroibati, Choroibati.” I want common sense to prevail among the people and let us rebuild a new Bengal. “I am everyone’s Prime Minister.”
Kirtania represents the Matua community and Tudu represents the tribal community. In the recently concluded Assembly elections in West Bengal, BJP candidates swept almost all the Assembly constituencies where Matua and tribal voters are in the majority. The selection of the top five ministers from diverse backgrounds is a subtle signal sent by the BJP that the new state government will treat people of all castes and origins equally, without any bias against anyone.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress is in the Opposition party’s seat in the Assembly this time and is yet to announce the name of the Leader of the Opposition, the presidency that Adhikari will hold from 2021 to 2026.
Also Read: Dilip Ghosh: Former RSS man from Andaman who is at the heart of Bengal BJP’s rise
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said several times during the poll campaigns that the new Prime Minister would be “a son of the soil, a Bengali and someone who pursued his academic career in the Bengali medium”.
Prime Minister kneeled on stage and saluted the people of Bengal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who set the date of the Bengal oath on the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, bowed to the people of West Bengal by kneeling (literally sitting on the dias) while attending the swearing-in ceremony of Adhikari as the new Prime Minister on Saturday.
After entering the Brigade Parade Ground, Modi, accompanied by Prime Minister candidate Suvendu Adhikari and state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya, boarded an open-air jeep and waved to thousands of BJP workers and supporters who had gathered at the ground since morning. The entire Brigade Parade Ground was decked out in saffron colours. Many artists performed accompanied by traditional drums. Baul songs were playing in the background.
