No Compromise on National Security, Bengal CM Outlines Four-Point Agenda

PTI, August 21, 2026, Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said the functioning of his government to bring a "transformative" change in West Bengal was guided by a four-point agenda, including an uncompromising stand on national security and nationalism.

Addressing an event in Siliguri, which was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said that soon after assuming charge, his administration cleared the long-pending Census process and expedited land transfer to the BSF along West Bengal's border with Bangladesh.

He also stressed the need for close coordination between the state and central security agencies to tackle revenue leakage and illegal cross-border activities. The BJP government's functioning is driven by an uncompromising stand on national security and nationalism, welfare, Centre-state coordination, and ensuring that all schemes reach their intended beneficiaries, the chief minister told the gathering.

"There will be no compromise on national security and nationalism under our government," Adhikari declared.

Targeting the erstwhile Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime, the chief minister said, "The previous government had not given consent to the Census process in the state. I directed the chief secretary to start the work immediately."

He also noted the BJP government implemented the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) in the state soon after assuming charge.

Adhikari termed these laws a major legal reform brought in by the Narendra Modi government, and alleged the TMC had deliberately kept their implementation pending.

The BNS, BNSS and the BSA, which came into effect in the country on July 1, 2024, replaced the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.

Highlighting his government's rapid pace of action, the chief minister said, "Within 100 days, our government handed over 242 kilometres of land to the BSF to secure the border."

"The nation is paramount. We must work together to secure our country, stop revenue leakage, end smuggling and keep our borders safe," he said, committing his government's full cooperation to the border security forces.

Asserting the state would play a pivotal role in the country's development journey, Adhikari declared, "West Bengal will be the biggest contributor in achieving a Viksit Bharat by 2047."

Adhikari also noted that this was the first time a chief minister of West Bengal attended a Seema Suraksha Bal programme and praised Shah's role in strengthening national security.

"It has been many years since a Chief Minister of West Bengal has had the opportunity to hold a programme alongside the SSB," he observed.

The chief minister also invoked the legacy of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, crediting him with ensuring West Bengal remained a part of India in 1947.