West Bengal CM calls for annual programmes to promote nationalism among students

PTI, 25 October 2026, Ramnagar : In a veiled attack at the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said programmes to inculcate nationalism among students should be held every year to keep them away from the influence of “vices like cockroaches”.

Adhikari said a three-day elocution, quiz and debate programme should be organised every year in all educational institutions to help students imbibe nationalism.

“Vices like cockroaches, bedbugs, tukde tukde gangs... which are trying to spread like the coronavirus... would not have required the spraying of ‘Hit’ (had they not tried to spread),” he said. ‘Hit’ is a brand of mosquito and bug-repellent spray.

Training his guns on the Left parties and the 15-year rule of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, the CM said, “The 34-year-long regime of the ‘nastik’ (atheist) Communists and the 15-year dispensation (of the TMC) tried to erase people’s heritage and culture.”

He also accused the previous TMC government of trying to stop enrolments in the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in the state’s educational institutions, and introducing the ‘Jai Hind Vahini’ instead.

“Being in the NCC would have helped the students get selected as Agniveers in the armed forces,” Adhikari said after meeting a family that lost a member in a stampede incident at Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on October 17.

Adhikari also claimed that those who drove out Tata Motors from Singur were “eulogised” in a chapter in school history books during the TMC regime, referring to former CM Mamata Banerjee and the anti-land acquisition agitations.

“Changes will be seen in the syllabi from the next academic year,” he said, asserting that the National Education Policy will be implemented in West Bengal.

Adhikari said he was also against the use of mobile phones by students till Class 12.

The chief minister said students will be provided tablets to help them with their studies, instead of the Rs 10,000 for buying mobile phones that the previous government was giving to each Class 11 student.

Adhikari said the BJP government will not allow any literature in West Bengal that is anti-India, anti-Sanatani or hurts any religion.

“People have repulsed such attempts that were undertaken by setting up stalls,” he said, alluding to book stalls set up by the Left parties in parts of the state.