"Pleasant coincidence": PM Modi on WB oath-taking on Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti
Kolkata, May 9
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said it was a "pleasant coincidence" that the oath-taking ceremony of the first-ever BJP government in West Bengal took place on Pochishe Boishakh, the Jayanti of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, "In a pleasant coincidence, the oath-taking ceremony of the first-ever BJP Government in West Bengal took place on Pochishe Boishakh, the Jayanti of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. At the ceremony, tributes were paid to Gurudev Tagore. His timeless words have long stirred the conscience of the nation and his vision continues to illuminate India's development journey."
Suvendu Adhikari today took oath as the state's first BJP Chief Minister, marking an end to the 15 years of TMC rule.
Five BJP leaders, Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu and Nisith Pramanik, also took oath as ministers in the West Bengal cabinet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan attended the swearing-in.
Chief Ministers, including Manik Saha (Tripura) and Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam), Rekha Gupta (Delhi), Pushkar Dhami (Uttarakhand) and several other leaders were also present.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, the Prime Minister also met the families of slain BJP workers Debasish Mondal, Soumitra Ghoshal and Ananda Paul.
Adhikari was sworn in as the 9th Chief Minister of West Bengal by Governor RN Ravi at a grand ceremony in Kolkata attended by Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several senior BJP leaders.
The BJP secured a historic victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, winning 207 seats and ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule in the state. The TMC secured 80 seats in the elections.
Adhikari had defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by over 15,000 votes and also retained the Nandigram Assembly seat.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, I'm tired of all this "coincidence" talk. Tagore belonged to ALL Bengalis, not just one party. Focus on development, jobs, and keeping Bengal's culture alive. 15 years of TMC was enough chaos, but BJP better not mess up our heritage.
As a Bengali, I'm thrilled! Mamata didi destroyed our education system and industry. Finally, a government that respects both our cultural icons like Tagore AND wants to bring real change. Adhikari ji, we're expecting lots of improvement in law and order.
Tagore's words: "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high" - that's what Bengal needs now. Let's see if the new government can actually bring that freedom from violence and corruption. Skeptical but hopeful 🤞
Interesting timing. Tagore was a globalist who criticised nationalism, and here we have a hyper-nationalist party invoking him. The irony is not lost on many of us. Hope the new CM focuses on real issues like unemployment and minority rights.
Finally! Bengal will now get the development it deserves. Under TMC, we were falling behind Gujarat and Maharashtra. Tagore Jayanti is a perfect day for new beginnings. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
M We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.