Newly-inducted West Bengal Minister and two-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Agnimitra Paul on Saturday said that the formation of the first BJP-led government in the state marked the fulfilment of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee's vision, claiming that Bengal had been "saved" from turning into "Western Bangladesh". Her remarks came shortly after Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, heading the state's first-ever BJP government.

The Swearing-In Ceremony

Alongside Adhikari, several others took oath as ministers in the new state Council of Ministers. Those sworn in included former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, former Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik, as well as Ashok Kirtania and Khudiram Tudu. The ceremony marked a historic political shift in West Bengal, with the BJP formally assuming power in the state for the first time.

Paul's Emotional Address

Speaking to reporters after taking the oath, Paul became visibly emotional while recalling what she described as years of struggle and political violence faced by BJP workers in the state. "I still can't believe the struggle that we have done, the 23 police cases, the insults, the harassment, not letting us work, beating our workers, raping them, burning them... I still can't believe it; do we really have a government? Sometimes I want to pinch myself and see if this is really happening," she said.

Paul further invoked the legacy of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh — the ideological predecessor of the BJP — stating that his vision had now been realised. "Syama Prasad Mookerjee's dreams have been fulfilled. We have been able to save the Bengal that was going to turn into Western Bangladesh. We are able to save it. This is an unreal feeling," she said.

Attack on Mamata Banerjee and TMC

Paul launched a sharp attack on All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing the previous government of pursuing what she called "appeasement politics". "Mamata Banerjee was trying to turn Bengal into Bangladesh through her appeasement politics for Jamaat and the Muslim community. It is a blessing that it did not happen, and Bengal did not turn into Bangladesh, or else everything, from our language to culture, would have been Islamised," Paul alleged.

She also referenced Mookerjee's historical role in Bengal's political history, saying, "Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of our party. Bengalis got Bengal due to him, or else we would have been in Bangladesh now." Paul further claimed that over 321 BJP workers had been "brutally beaten, raped and killed" under the previous administration, adding that "even their souls must have found peace" today.

Historic Shift in Bengal Politics

The BJP's ascent to power in West Bengal ends decades of dominance by the Left Front and subsequently the TMC. The swearing-in marks the first time the party has governed the state, a long-standing political objective for the BJP in eastern India. With the new government now in place, all eyes will be on how it navigates governance, law-and-order concerns, and the promises made to voters in one of India's most politically contested states.