Suvendu Adhikari to be West Bengal CM, pitches ‘Team BJP’ model
Adhikari was elected leader of the BJP legislature party on Thursday in the presence of Amit Shah, who was appointed as the central observer of the process. Shah chaired the meeting attended by 207 BJP MLAs along with Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi.
Speaking after the meeting held after the BJP won the majority in the Assembly polls, Shah said, “I am announcing the name of Suvendu Adhikari as the leader of the West Bengal BJP legislative party.” he said.
Eight proposals were received, all supporting Adhikari’s candidacy, Shah said. “There was no second name. I am electing Suvendu Adhikari as the head of the legislative party as the central observer,” he said.
Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh and Asansol MLA Agnimitra Paul are likely to be appointed as deputy chief ministers, while senior Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta and former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh are expected to be in the cabinet, sources said.
Emphasizing collective leadership, Adhikari said the BJP government will work as a team. “Not me, we will achieve this,” he said.
Adhikari said a commission would be formed under the chairmanship of a retired judge to probe “institutionalized corruption” and promised action in cases ranging from Sandeshkhali to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. “We talk less and work more,” he said, adding that the BJP would fulfill its election promises in a time-bound manner. Shah called the BJP’s victory historic and thanked the people of Bengal for the “great mandate”. “For decades, democracy had taken a backseat and the politics of fear had deepened in Bengal. People retained their faith in Narendra Modi and gave us this task,” he said.
Referring to Rabindranath Tagore, Shah said the BJP will work to build “Sonar Bangla” where “the mind is fearless and the head is held high”. He added that the BJP government will end “goondaraj, union raj and corruption”.
Highlighting the growth of the BJP in Bengal, Shah said that the party has increased from a single seat in 2014 to 200 seats now. “In 23 districts, the BJP is now number one,” he said, adding that the party’s average margin of victory was 28,000 votes.
Shah also emphasized that the BJP government will take precautions against infiltration. “We will weed out every spy coming from Bengal and India. Infiltration-free Bengal and people’s security will be ensured,” he said.
He called on all political parties to work together to end political violence in the state. “It is our responsibility to ensure that news of violence and survey fraud are never heard again,” Shah said.
Majhi said Bengal had chosen the “path of growth” and described the rise of the BJP in the state – from three seats in 2014 to over 200 now – as an unprecedented event.
