Kolkata, Aug 15 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday called upon political entities to put aside partisan divisions and unite for the state’s comprehensive development.
Adhikari was addressing the 80th Independence Day celebrations of the state government at Red Road in central Kolkata.
The Chief Minister emphasised Bengal’s historic legacy in the national freedom struggle and reiterated his commitment to fulfilling public expectations.
“Bengal is the land of nationalism. This is the land of freedom fighters like Rishi Aurobindo, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Khudiram Bose, Matangini Hazra and Bina Das, whose contributions in the Indian freedom movement are simply unforgettable. Let us join hands and put aside political narrow-mindedness and get united for the development of Bengal. I will always honour the resolve with which I took the oath in the brigade in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 9, 2026. There will be no dishonor to that oath,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment of achieving the target of “Viksit Bharat” through the route of achieving a “Viksit Bengal.”
“The dream of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ in 2047 will be fulfilled only when we build a ‘Viksit Bengal’. Our goal is to revive the lost glory of West Bengal. On June 20, 1947, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pranabananda Maharaj jointly established it and gave priority to accession to India. I want to spread the development of West Bengal from Sundarbans in the south to the hills in the North. My focus is on employment generation, women empowerment, and security of the state,” Adhikari said.
Simultaneously, a parallel ceremonial event took place at Uttarkanya in Siliguri, the mini-secretariat for North Bengal.
North Bengal Development Minister Nisith Pramanik hoisted the National Flag at the venue, breaking a twelve-year tradition where administrative bureaucrats previously led the ceremony.
“Although almost 12 years have passed since the construction of Uttarkanya, no minister before had hoisted the flag here so far. Although the infrastructure has been literally built, the rights of the people of North Bengal have not been given to them during the previous regime. Earlier, bureaucrats used to do this flag hoisting. But like everything else, this time too, there has been a change. For the first time, the national flag was hoisted by a minister at Uttarkanya,” Pramanik told reporters.
–IANS
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