Manoj Jha Urges New BJP CM Suvendu Adhikari to End Violence in West Bengal

Speaking to IANS, Manoj Kumar Jha said, "There is no need to go into too much detail. The BJP government's victory had become clear on the day of vote counting itself. Whatever the reasons behind it may be, it is interesting that Suvendu Adhikari has been associated with the BJP for six years. Earlier, he was with the Congress and the Trinamool Congress as well, so he has considerable political experience."

"Apart from congratulating him, we expect that the first priority should be to stop incidents of violence in the state. Recently, his PA was murdered. We have also witnessed more than half a dozen murders linked to jail-related incidents. Even yesterday, a Trinamool Congress worker suffered a fatal head injury. I believe the priority should be to eliminate the atmosphere of violence," he said.

Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the Chief Minister of the first BJP-ruled West Bengal government, along with five other members of the state Council of Ministers led by him.

The other five members of the state Council of Ministers who were sworn in on Saturday include the former national vice-president and former state president of the BJP in West Bengal, Dilip Ghosh, fashion-designer-turned politician and two-time BJP legislator, Agnimitra Paul, former BJP Lok Sabha member and the former Union Minister of state for Home, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtania and Khudiram Tudu.

Ghosh was the second person after Adhikari to take oath, followed by Paul, Kritania, Tudu and Pramanik

However, at the time the report was filed, the portfolios of the five other members of the state's Council of Ministers were not announced.

While 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.

While Ghosh represents the other backward class (OBC) community, Paul hails from Kayastha background. Pramanik is the representative of the Rajbanshi community, a predominant sect of people in North Bengal, where the BJP this time had almost demolished Trinamool Congress in the recently concluded Assembly polls.

Adhikari himself is a Brahmin. Political observers feel that selection of the first six ministers from different caste-backgrounds is a subtle signal sent by the BJP that the new state government will consider people from all caste-backgrounds with equality without any bias towards anybody.

- IANS