Bengal Governor Presents "People's Manifesto" to President, Open to All Parties

Speaking to ANI in the national capital after meeting President Droupadi Murmu, the Governor said, "Based on my field studies, interactions with people in different places, and visits to villages, I have prepared a kind of people's manifesto, which I have presented to the President of India. It is non-political. It is essentially a compilation of people's needs, as expressed to me on various platforms. Its title is 'Shanthi Shudhi Samridhi'.

"Any political party can incorporate into its manifesto if it so desires. I am also writing a book on the President of India. These are the two things I can share with you. The rest, of course, are constitutional matters, which, according to protocol, I cannot discuss publicly," Bose further said.

Elaborating further on 'Shanthi Shudhi Samridhi', Governor Bose underlined that the document was not aligned to any political ideology and was instead an outcome of extensive public engagement across West Bengal.

On the nature of the document, he said, "This is not a political manifesto. This is the people's plan. Based on the feedback I received from the people in the field, understanding their needs, I prepared a draft plan, an action plan, for the development of Viksit Bengal. This is a non-political document. Of course, if any political party wants to adopt it, they can. This is the people's manifesto. This is what they want."

Commenting on the ongoing debate around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the West Bengal Governor said that differing political views were inevitable in a democratic and pluralistic society and stressed the need to address errors, if any, through corrective measures.

On SIR, he said, "The controversy over SIR is built around political perceptions. In a democracy, in a pluralistic society, we cannot expect all political parties to have the same opinion. Naturally, there may be complaints. SIR is a complex and detailed process. There can be some mistakes here and there. What is important is to correct any mistakes, if there are any, and move forward. The common people of Bengal have accepted SIR."

The Governor also spoke on the importance of placing the Comptroller and Auditor General's reports before the legislature, asserting that transparency and corrective action were integral to democratic governance.

Stating his position on the CAG reports, Bose said, "The Indian CAG is considered one of the best in the world. Therefore, it is mandatory for any democratically elected government to place this report before the Assembly and take corrective action. That is my opinion on this."

Flagging infiltration as a matter of "great concern" for national security, Bose expressed confidence in India's border forces and "intelligence agencies", and raised sharp concerns over the credibility of the police in West Bengal.

"As far as infiltration is concerned, it is a matter of great concern for any country. We are proud to say that our BSF and border security forces are guarding our borders very well. If there is any internal support for infiltration, that is a very serious matter. This is something that our intelligence agencies are handling very well," Ananda Bose said.

- ANI