Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan and several senior BJP leaders during his first official visit to the national capital after taking charge.
Amid the back-to-back meetings on Friday, the chief minister also made time for an unscheduled interaction with reporters at Banga Bhawan, where he iterated his government’s hardline stand on Bangladeshi infiltrators.
“We will not waste taxpayers’ money by keeping infiltrators in detention centres. Once identified, they will be deported,” he said, underlining his government’s “detect, delete, deport” policy.
While the high-profile meetings were officially described as “courtesy calls”, sources did not rule out discussions on cabinet expansion of his government and coordination between the state and the Centre on key administrative issues.
Suvendu later said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him of full central support to pull Bengal out of “years of stagnation”.
In a post on X after the meeting, the chief minister described his interaction with Modi as “fruitful” and said the Prime Minister had made it clear that the development of Bengal remained a priority for the Centre.
“I am incredibly thankful to him for assuring all possible help, guidance and Central support to rescue West Bengal from years of stagnation and place it firmly on the fast track of economic growth, industrial revival and youth empowerment,” Suvendu wrote.
Suvendu also said the state was ready to usher in “a new era of double-engine growth, transparent governance and holistic development” with the Centre’s support and the people’s mandate.
In what appeared to be a symbolic political gesture, Suvendu presented Modi with a large framed portrait of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the author of the national song Vande Mataram. Photographs released after the meeting showed Modi and Suvendu holding the portrait, inscribed with “Vande Mataram” in Hindi.
Earlier in the day, Suvendu had presented similar framed portraits to defence minister Rajnath Singh and Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan.
In a contentious order, the new Bengal government has made singing of Vande Mataram mandatory during morning assemblies across all recognised madrasas in the state.
Suvendu, who arrived in Delhi on Thursday night, began his two-day visit with a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah, regarded as the principal architect of the BJP’s landslide victory in the recently concluded Bengal Assembly polls.
While details of Suvendu’s discussions with Modi and Shah were not officially disclosed, sources indicated that strengthening security along the India-Bangladesh border and tackling infiltration figured prominently in the talks.
Suvendu began his packed Friday schedule with a meeting with defence minister Rajnath Singh at the latter’s residence in the capital. Although the BSF, which guards the border, functions under the Union home ministry, the defence ministry’s role is also considered crucial in matters related to border security and strategic coordination.
In a post on X, Rajnath expressed confidence in the new chief minister’s leadership. “Met with Chief Minister of West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari in New Delhi. He is a person of rich political and legislative experience. I am confident that he will work towards taking West Bengal to greater heights,” he said, sharing photographs of the meeting.
In his reply to Rajnath’s post, Suvendu flagged “sealing” of the borders. “Under the visionary leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji, we are fully committed to work for progress and holistic development for the people of West Bengal and most importantly ensure National Security by sealing our Borders. Looking forward to your unwavering support in fulfilling this mission,” the chief minister posted on X.
Suvendu then drove to Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet President Murmu. In his response to the President’s post on X about the meeting, the chief minister appeared to invoke Murmu’s March visit to Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls, which had triggered a political controversy and a confrontation with then chief minister Mamata Banerjee over alleged protocol lapses and venue changes during a tribal event in Siliguri.
Suvendu said the new government would leave “no stone unturned” to erase the “painful memories” of the President’s previous visit.
He further said the state would ensure that the President was accorded the “utmost respect, dignity and honour” befitting the country’s constitutional head.
At Banga Bhavan in Chanakyapuri later in the day, Suvendu briefly interacted with reporters and outlined some of the priorities of his government.
“All corruption under the previous regime will be investigated,” he said when asked about alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers during the previous government’s tenure.
Asked whether he would seek a special economic package for the state from the Centre, Suvendu avoided a direct response, saying such matters need not be discussed publicly.
On flagship central schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, which were not implemented by the previous government, he said discussions were underway and the projects would be rolled out soon.
Suvendu also drove to the BJP headquarters where he met party president Nitin Nabin and other key organisational leaders.