Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adhikari at a grand ceremony held at the Brigade Parade Grounds in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, union ministers and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states, including Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Odisha CM Mohan Majhi among others.
The other five members, who were sworn in on Saturday, include the former state president Dilip Ghosh, fashion-designer-turned politician and two-time BJP legislator Agnimitra Paul, the former junior Union Minister of state for Home Nisith Pramanik and MLA from the Matua belt Ashok Kirtania and MLA from Ranibandh (ST) Khudiram Tudu. While Kirtania represents Matua belt, Pramanik represents Rajbanshi, a predominant sect of people in North Bengal, and Tudu represents the tribal community.
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Dilip Ghosh was the second person after Adhikari to take oath, followed by Paul, Kritania, Tudu and Pramanik
Adhikari, who took oath on the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Adhikari said, “We have only one mantra of Swami Vivekananda “Choroibati, Choroibati.”. I want good sense prevails among people and let us reconstruct a new Bengal. I am Chief Minister for all.”
Kirtania represents the Matua community, Tudu represents the tribal community. In the recently concluded Assembly elections in West Bengal, the BJP candidates virtually swept almost all the Assembly constituencies where Matua and tribal voters were in majority.Selection of the first five ministers from different backgrounds is a subtle signal sent by the BJP that the new state government will consider people from all caste and backgrounds with equality without any bias towards anybody.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress is in the Opposition party’s seat in the House this time, and is yet to announce the name of the Leader of the Opposition, the chair held by Adhikari from 2021 to 2026.
Also Read: Dilip Ghosh: The ex-RSS man from Andaman at the heart of Bengal BJP’s rise
During his poll campaigns, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah has several times said that the new Chief Minister will be a “son of the soil, a Bengali and one who had pursued his academic career in Bengali medium.”
PM kneels on the stage and bows to people of Bengal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had decided the date of Bengal oath taking on Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary, kneels on the Saturday bowed (literally sitting on the dias) to the people of West Bengal while attending the swearing-in ceremony of Adhikari as the new Chief Minister.
After entering the Brigade Parade Grounds, Modi, accompanied by Chief Minister designate Suvendu Adhikari and state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, took a ride in an open-air jeep and waved at the thousands of BJP workers and supporters assembled at the ground from the morning. The entire Brigade Parade Grounds was decked in saffron colours. A large number of artists were performing to the tune of traditional drums. Baul songs played in the background.
