West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday, 28 August launched a sharp attack against Leftist students' organisations at Jadavpur University (JU), calling for the removal of elements on campus who raise slogans such as 'Kashmir Mange Azadi' or display tributes to slain Maoist leader Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji. Adhikari made the remarks while addressing a Raksha Bandhan event in his own constituency of Bhabanipur in South Kolkata on Friday afternoon.

What the Chief Minister Said

Adhikari invoked the occasion of Raksha Bandhan to issue a pointed call to action. 'It hurts me when the slogans of Azadi are raised on the streets of Kolkata. What is Azadi? The country achieved Independence a long time back. 'Red Salute Kishenji' is written on the walls of Jadavpur University. What is a section of the new generation up to? Who is this Kishenji? He is one who did not believe in the India Constitution. On this auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan, we must take an oath to get rid of them like the garbage in our house,' the Chief Minister said.

He also cautioned the public against forces he described as attempting to undermine the country from within. 'We have the Indian Army to handle external enemies. The Indian Air Force also wiped them out. But there are many inside the country, who are trying to weaken the nation from inside. We have to be careful about them and wipe them out,' Adhikari added.

Background: Kishenji and JU's Political Flashpoints

Koteswar Rao, widely known by his nom de guerre Kishenji, was a senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) who was killed in a police encounter in West Bengal in November 2011. His name has periodically resurfaced in political discourse, particularly around campus activism at Jadavpur University, which has historically been a centre of Left-leaning student politics. The presence of wall graffiti invoking his name has drawn repeated objections from the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Raksha Bandhan Programme at Jadavpur University

Adhikari's remarks preceded his scheduled visit to JU itself later in the day, where he was set to participate in a programme featuring a mass rendition of Vande Mataram. 'Later in the day I will be going to JU and participate in a programme where 10,000 voices will sing the full version of Vande Mataram. I request those who have the time to attend that program,' he said. Earlier on Friday, the Chief Minister had celebrated Raksha Bandhan with police personnel before proceeding to the Bhabanipur event. He was also scheduled to attend a programme at Nazrul Manch in South Kolkata.

Political Context

The attack on Leftist student groups at JU is consistent with the BJP's broader campaign in West Bengal to counter the influence of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and allied organisations, which retain a significant presence at the university. Jadavpur University has been a recurring flashpoint in Bengal's political battles, with campus politics often serving as a proxy for the wider contest between the BJP, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), and the Left. Notably, Adhikari's choice of Raksha Bandhan — a festival emphasising bonds of protection — as the occasion for this call lends a symbolic framing to what is fundamentally a political offensive ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.