Soon after Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the party's first Chief Minister in West Bengal, Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar exhibited confidence that with a "double-engine" government in place, the state will now be "transformed into Sonar Bangla".
Speaking to IANS after the swearing-in ceremony, Majumdar said, "Under the able leadership of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, a government has been formed in West Bengal. The oath was taken in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
"A double-engine government, one led by Prime Minister Modi and here by Suvendu Adhikari, will work to take Bengal towards development," he said. He added: "We will transform the state into 'Sonar Bangla'." Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav told IANS about the significance of a BJP government in the state.
"It will work against illegal infiltrators and towards development," he said. After his swearing-in, CM Adhikari visited Jorasanko Thakurbari, the ancestral home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, and paid floral tributes on his birth anniversary. Addressing reporters later, CM Adhikari said: “Today is a very important day for the country and for West Bengal, so it was the wish of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the new government shall begin its tenure on Rabindra Jayanti."
"That is why today all of us, under the Prime Minister's leadership and with the blessings of Rabindranath Tagore, have taken oath to abide by the Constitution," he added. Moreover, the newly sworn-in Chief Minister asserted that Bengal and its culture will follow the spirit and ideology of Rabindranath Tagore.
Referring to BJP leaders being targeted as 'outsiders', he mentioned: "The political party which was formed on the ideology and principles of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, does not need anyone's certificate." Taking a dig at the Opposition Trinamool Congress, he said: "Those who are still engaging in criticism, may God bless them with wisdom."
Adhikari alleged that Bengal has suffered a lot during Trinamool's reign. "The state's education, culture, everything has taken a hit. We will reform Bengal and have a huge responsibility towards it," he said. "We shall overcome (all difficulties)," he added.