‘Tukde tukde’ gangs active again, nationalist forces must unite, says Suvendu

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday claimed that the “anti-national ‘tukde tukde’ gangs” have become active again and were attempting to weaken the country, and called for the unity of “nationalist forces”.

Addressing a BJP workers’ meeting at Jalpesh in Jalpaiguri district after offering prayers at the historic Jalpesh Shiva Temple, Adhikari launched a sharp political attack on the previous Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments. Referring to the recent nationwide unrest over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), he alleged that “anti-national forces” were trying to create instability and urged “nationalist-minded people” to remain united.

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Claiming that no chief minister had offered prayers inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Jalpesh temple in the past five decades, he said earlier governments had neglected the state’s religious heritage. Using the terms “Secu” and “Maku” to refer to secular and Marxist politics, he accused past regimes of ignoring the legacy of Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

The chief minister also criticised former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that her government had attempted to turn West Bengal into “Greater Bangladesh.” He said India was being weakened by anti-national elements and reiterated that nationalist forces must remain united.

Adhikari urged MLAs to prepare a list of ancient temples and monasteries across the state so that the government could take steps to preserve and develop them. He also described grassroots BJP workers as the party’s “real strength” and said they were more important than its leaders.

He asked party workers to publicise five key welfare schemes — Annapurna Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, the job card initiative under the rural employment programme, PM Surya Ghar Yojana and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi — so that eligible beneficiaries could avail themselves of the benefits. According to him, Annapurna Yojana had already begun reaching 1.24 crore beneficiaries, while verification of around 1.70 crore applications was in progress.

The chief minister said the financial powers of gram panchayat pradhans had been curtailed to curb corruption. He announced that the chief secretary would release three anti-corruption helpline numbers on Tuesday for complaints related to bribery in land, revenue, panchayat and municipal offices, warning that those found guilty would face strict legal action, including imprisonment.

Earlier in the day, Adhikari handed over financial assistance to the families of those killed in the recent tunnel accident in Sikkim at the Jalpaiguri district magistrate’s office before proceeding to Jalpesh.

Returning to Uttarkanya in Siliguri, he chaired a high-level review meeting attended by Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta and senior officials. He later inaugurated the Airview More-Jhankar More rail overbridge and said the Centre would now bear the entire cost of rail overbridge projects, unlike the earlier 50:50 cost-sharing arrangement with states. He claimed that nearly 500 such projects were being taken up in West Bengal.

Highlighting the achievements of his ten-week-old government, Adhikari said he had already visited north Bengal six to seven times. He announced that 16 of the 30 major projects under the North Bengal Development Department had already commenced and promised strict monitoring of their quality through direct interaction with villagers.

He also said the government was exploring the commercial use of the Air Force base at Hasimara and was willing to provide requied land. Announcing plans for a university in Jalpaiguri, he asked BJP MP Jayanta Roy to identify suitable government land for the project. Referring to the district’s electoral performance, he said although all Assembly seats in Jalpaiguri were won by the BJP, the district had not yet been represented in the state Cabinet, adding that one of its MLAs would be inducted into the ministry in due course.