Kolkata/Kharagpur: Newly sworn-in state minister Dilip Ghosh on Sunday said the thrust will be on rebuilding the state, especially law and order, along with education and health sectors. Out on his morning walk at New Town, Ghosh, who holds ‘durbar’ with locals, did not change his habits even on Sunday. However, unlike on other days, he seemed more keen to lay out his future agenda.“We need to transform Bengal with a fresh approach because everything has deteriorated. The law and order is extremely weak, and people have lived in fear for years. Education is inadequate, the health department has collapsed, and there is a lack of industry and very little employment. It will take some time, but we will start working immediately,” he said.By afternoon, Ghosh’s convoy rolled into Kharagpur — the “Mini-India” city of diverse tongues and trades that forged his political roots. Jubilation erupted as he alighted, marking the first minister from here in 49 years. Congress stalwart Gyan Singh Sohanpal, “Chacha,” had been Kharagpur’s last ministerial voice — a 10-time MLA handling transport, jails, and parliamentary affairs under Siddhartha Shankar Ray till 1977. Chacha’s streak snapped in 2016 when Ghosh won Kharagpur Sadar. In 2026, Ghosh trounced Trinamool’s Pradip Sarkar by over 30,000 votes.Ghosh reflected: “I have won before, but this time their enthusiasm was at its best. People have wanted change for many years, and we have won. After many years, Kharagpur has a minister, which brings even more joy. I’ve come to the assembly, become a minister, and will have the opportunity to do something. Many tasks remain, and we must start anew. Nothing has happened in 50 years. Many will try to join BJP after their defeat, but they won’t be accepted either by BJP or the people,” he said.A resident of ward 23 at the Southside Development Quarters for the past eight years, the Kharagpur MLA then spearheaded a 10 km roadshow from Kaushalya to Hospital Mor. Thousands poured onto streets, transforming the city into a saffron sea — DJ vans thumping rhythmic beats as Ghosh perched atop an open jeep, arm raised high. Bike squads flanked the parade, horns blaring through bustling markets. Youth scaled poles for better views and elders clasped his hands at halts. “The public of the Kharagpur Sadar constituency has bestowed its trust upon me…The public has a lot of expectations from the party as they voted overwhelmingly for us,” said Ghosh.
