‘Destroy property, lose property’: Suvendu defends twin public order bills

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari launched a blistering attack on his predecessor Mamata Banerjee in the assembly on Monday, accusing her of sacrificing governance at the altar of vote-bank politics.

Adhikari hailed the newly enacted public order laws aimed at curbing riots, vandalism and organised crime as a decisive break from what he described as years of political violence and administrative inaction.

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The remarks came as the Assembly passed the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026.

“Had the previous government acted in time and distinguished between Raj Dharma and vote-bank politics, these families would not have had to come here seeking justice today. The people did not merely defeat you in the election; they rejected you,” the Chief Minister said.

Beginning his speech, Adhikari pointed towards the visitors’ gallery, where families of victims of political violence were present, including relatives of Diamond Harbour’s Raju Samanta, Murshidabad victims Hargobinda Das and Chandan Das, and the family of Nandigram’s Debabrata Maiti.

Without naming Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari referred to her former Assembly seat and said, “The person who used to sit here lost to me twice in Nandigram. During the protests against the Waqf Amendment Bill, Mothabari was set on fire and selectively Hindu-owned shops were looted while Muslim-owned establishments were spared. The then government could have immediately deployed central forces, but failed to act because of vote-bank considerations.”

He also criticised the previous government’s handling of communal unrest.

“Why did your party send a person with a SIMI (Students’ Islamic Movement of India) background to the Rajya Sabha? Why did Siddiqullah Chowdhury obstruct investigations?” he asked.

Recalling the anti-CAA protests of 2019, Adhikari alleged that misinformation had fuelled widespread violence across the state.

“The former chief minister herself led the march from Sinthee More to Shyambazar, after which Bengal witnessed arson and destruction. Railway tracks were uprooted in Samsi, Rejinagar station was torched and 37 buses, including 22 government buses, were burnt at Santragachi,” he claimed.

He also referred to subsequent incidents of violence in Howrah, Uluberia and along National Highway corridors, alleging that prolonged blockades and attacks had become routine under the previous administration.

Defending the newly enacted laws, Adhikari said their objective was not political vendetta but ensuring accountability for those involved in riots and destruction of property.

“In Asansol, we have already recovered compensation from rioters. If necessary, we will auction the homes and properties of those responsible for riots to recover every rupee of compensation, and we will do it swiftly. Those who think they can attack policemen, destroy government property and escape will realise that this Police Minister is different,” he said.

Concluding his speech, Adhikari said the new government had demonstrated that maintaining law and order was possible without political violence.

Referring to Bhangar, he remarked, “Not a single person died there during this election. Had we tried to capture the area politically, the member opposing this Bill today would not have been sitting in this House. Our objective is governance, not intimidation.”