Developed West Bengal key to Viksit Bharat by 2047: Suvendu Adhikari

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the state’s development is essential to achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047. Addressing Independence Day celebrations in Kolkata, he highlighted jobs, women’s empowerment, security and law and order while urging political unity to restore Bengal’s prominence

Kolkata: Asserting that a developed and prosperous West Bengal is the key to a developed India, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat in 2047 can only be realised through an all-round advancement of the state.

Remembering Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Bharat Sevashram Sangh founder Swami Pranavananda for their efforts to retain West Bengal as part of India during the partition which accompanied Independence, Adhikari said the priority of his dispensation was to restore the previous glory of the state.

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“By creating more and more job opportunities, ensuring women’s empowerment, advancing security and tightening the law and order situation, we want to bring about an all-round development across all corners of the state,” Adhikari said in his Independence Day address after a colourful parade at Kolkata’s iconic Red Road.

Hoisting the Tricolour on the occasion, Adhikari touched upon the contributions of iconic freedom fighters like Rishi Arabinda, Subhas Chandra Bose and Khudiram Bose who hailed from the soil of Bengal, and recollected the impact of brave hearts and revolutionary nationalists like Matangini Hazra and Bina Das had in the nation’s freedom struggle.

“Our two luminaries, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Rabindranath Tagore, composed the national song Vande Mataram and the national anthem Jana Gana Mana respectively, which stirred the entire nation,” he said.

Adhikari urged all to set aside political differences and join hands in elevating Bengal to a level of prominence and prosperity in India. The chief minister who inspected a guard of honour before hoisting the national flag awarded medals to police 14 IPS officers in commendation of their services.

On the 150th year of Vande Mataram, the national song was played alongside the national anthem for the first time during the state’s Independence Day celebrations. Amid the parade, jointly held by the Kolkata Police, defence and paramilitary forces, colourful tableaux including one to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee rolled down the Red Road.

Tableaux on the Annamrit mid-day meal, Kanyaratna and Annapurna schemes, Ayushman Arogya Mandir, Durgashakti Bahini, Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation were also displayed. A pair of tableaux by the state tourism and transport departments showcased the state’s heritage, tourism, and road-safety initiatives.

The traditional parade on Red Road marking the nation’s 80th Independence Day also featured synchronised marching contingents in ceremonial uniforms, cultural and martial arts performances, and spectacular motorcycle formations by various wings of the city police. Adhikari also paid his respects at the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and at the police memorial on Red Road during the ceremony.