Kolkata, 26 February (H.S.): Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and BJP West Bengal State President and Member of Parliament Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday addressed the media at the BJP West Bengal headquarters in central Kolkata, highlighting key political and governance-related issues.

On the occasion, Shri Sumitra Chattopadhyay—former senior official of the Labour Department and a family member of renowned litterateur Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay—formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was welcomed into the party by Bhattacharya and Yadav.

After joining the BJP, Sumitra Chattopadhyay raised serious concerns over the West Bengal government’s employment policies. He alleged that data of lakhs of youths registered with Employment Exchanges were deleted through an administrative order and replaced by the creation of an “Employment Bank,” in which nearly 4 million youths were enrolled. He further said that the Yuvashree scheme, introduced thereafter, was eventually discontinued. At present, under the Yuva Sathi scheme, unemployed youths are reportedly receiving financial assistance of only ₹50 per day, which he termed grossly insufficient to address the real employment needs of young people.

Addressing the media, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav spoke about the enduring nationalist legacy of “Vande Mataram,” composed by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, stating that it played a crucial role in strengthening the spirit of patriotism across India. Welcoming Sumitra Chattopadhyay into the BJP, Yadav said that the ideals and nationalist vision of Bankimchandra would continue to inspire efforts toward building a “Developed Bengal.”

Yadav also expressed confidence that the inclusion of respected and patriotic individuals in the BJP would help strengthen positive political and social transformation in West Bengal.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey