Kolkata, 09 May (H.S.) :

Newly inducted Agnimitra Paul on Saturday said that the formation of the first Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal marked the fulfilment of Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s vision and claimed that the state had been “saved” from turning into “Western Bangladesh”.

Her remarks came shortly after Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the ninth Chief Minister of the state along with members of the new Council of Ministers.

Apart from Adhikari, leaders sworn in as ministers included former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, former Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik, as well as Ashok Kirtania and Khudiram Tudu.

Speaking after the swearing-in ceremony, Paul became emotional while recalling what she described as years of struggle and political violence faced by BJP workers in the state.

“I still can’t believe the struggle that we have done, the 23 police cases, the insults, the harassment, not letting us work, beating our workers, raping them, burning them. I still can’t believe it; do we really have a government? Sometimes I want to pinch myself and see if this is really happening,” she said.

The BJP leader further claimed that the political change in West Bengal reflected the ideals of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the ideological predecessor of the BJP.

“Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s dreams have been fulfilled. We have been able to save the Bengal that was going to turn into Western Bangladesh. We are able to save it. This is an unreal feeling,” Paul said.

Referring to Mookerjee’s role in Bengal’s political history, she said that Bengalis had retained West Bengal because of his efforts during Partition.

Paul also launched a sharp attack on Mamata Banerjee and accused the previous All India Trinamool Congress government of pursuing appeasement politics.

“Mamata Banerjee was trying to turn Bengal into Bangladesh through her appeasement politics for Jamaat and the Muslim community. It is a blessing that it did not happen, and Bengal did not turn into Bangladesh, or else everything, from our language to culture, would have been Islamised,” she alleged.

Paul further claimed that the souls of BJP workers who had allegedly faced violence in recent years would “find peace” after the BJP assumed power in the state.

The swearing-in ceremony marked a major political shift in West Bengal as the BJP formally assumed power in the state for the first time.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh