Kolkata | West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday announced a series of commemorative and development initiatives, including the construction of a 125-foot statue, a memorial and a library in honour of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary.
Addressing BJP workers during an organisational interaction programme in Dum Dum, Adhikari said the state cabinet had approved the projects as part of the commemoration plan.
"A 125-foot-tall statue, a memorial and a library will be built on land purchased for the purpose to honour Mookerjee," he said.
He said Mookerjee and Swami Pranavananda played a key role in the formation of West Bengal within the Indian Union during the Partition of 1947, and alleged that previous governments had tried to downplay their contributions.
"The history of the creation of West Bengal and the role played by Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Swami Pranavananda cannot be forgotten," he said.
Adhikari also announced that June 20 would be observed as West Bengal Day, replacing the earlier practice of celebrating the state’s foundation day on Poila Baisakh.
Highlighting his government's broader vision of 'Nabunirman' (rebuilding), Adhikari claimed the state had lagged behind after "34 years of Left Front rule and 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule" and called for public participation in rebuilding the state.
To strengthen outreach, he announced that public welfare camps would be organised in every block and municipality on June 15, 16 and 17 to help people access government schemes and services.
The chief minister also said the state would officially celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21 for the first time, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to attend the main programme in Kolkata. Local leaders were instructed to organise yoga events in their respective areas in line with Ayush Ministry guidelines.
Referring to civic administration in Bidhannagar, Adhikari said an Additional District Magistrate had been appointed as administrator of the municipal corporation as a temporary arrangement and urged party workers to work towards ensuring a BJP victory in the next civic polls.
He also attacked the Trinamool Congress, alleging that its political influence was steadily declining and asserting that the state was entering a new era focused on development, governance reforms and historical recognition.
Kolkata | West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said around 4,800 illegal immigrants have been sent to Bangladesh from holding centres set up in the state's border districts, and around 836 such people are awaiting deportation from these facilities.
Adhikari asserted that illegal immigration was a big issue, and said his government has already handed over land to the BSF to erect around 100 km of fencing, out of the 556 km required to secure the India-Bangladesh border.
The land handover is a continuous process and is necessary for the security of the country, he said, adding that securing the international boundary is the state government's priority.
"We have handed over to the BSF around 100 km stretch of land out of 556 km required for fencing, and prioritised the Chicken's Neck corridor in north Bengal," the chief minister said, while addressing a preparatory meeting for the BJP's special training camp.
The ‘Chicken’s Neck’, officially known as the Siliguri Corridor, is a narrow stretch of land- about 20-22 km wide and nearly 60 km long- in north Bengal that connects the rest of India with its northeastern states. It is considered a critical and sensitive lifeline from both security and strategic perspectives.
West Bengal, among all Indian states, shares the longest international boundary with Bangladesh, stretching 2,217 km, out of a total of 4,096 km.
Stating that his government has started deporting illegal immigrants, who do not fall under the Citizenship Amendment Act, as per a law of the Union government, Adhikari said, "These people are being handed over to the BSF directly."
Though the law was applied in other states of the country, the previous Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal did not implement it, he said, adding that illegal immigrants were kept in the state's jails and had availed facilities at the taxpayers' expense.
"Around 4,800 illegal immigrants have been sent back from holding centres set up in the state's border districts," Adhikari said, adding that 836 such people are awaiting deportation from those facilities.
Pointing to the flow of people at the Hakimpur border in North 24 Parganas district, Adhikari said that many illegal immigrants have already left on their own.
"The demography of Bengal has changed," the chief minister claimed, adding that the BJP had made infiltration from Bangladesh and demographic change the biggest issues in the West Bengal assembly election, and accused the Mamata Banerjee-led party of being complacent on both issues for political reasons.
Alleging that the census work had not been started in the state by the previous TMC dispensation, Adhikari said the BJP government has commenced the process and that house surveys will take place from August 1 to 15.
"The census will be completed by the end of next February, and delimitation will be held based on it," the chief minister said.
He said the government has already transferred Rs 3,000 each to 50 lakh women in the state under the Annapurna Yojana scheme, in keeping with the BJP's poll promise for doubling the financial assistance they enjoyed under the Lakshmir Bhandar of the TMC government.
"On the very first day, we gave the Annapurna Yojana benefit to 28,25,769 women, which is our biggest achievement," Adhikari said.
Pointing to criticisms from some quarters about the 12-page application form for the Annapurna Yojana beneficiaries, he said, "The money to be given is from the government exchequer. So it has to be properly verified." The chief minister alleged that 27 lakh names out of 2.2 crore Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries were not on the voter list, adding that "three lakh more are males who took advantage" of the women-only welfare scheme.
He termed this irregularity as "dangerous corruption".
"Over the next 50 years, the government will benefit from the transparent process we adopted," the chief minister said.
