Bengal unshackled and on course to make history, says PM Modi

The Prime Minister attended a grand function to celebrate the National Day on 20 June 2026 along with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Ministers, MLAs, Government functionaries and general public. Photo: X/@narendramodi

Decades of bad governance have held West Bengal back and with the Bharatiya Janata Party ruling the state, Bengal is unshackled and on track to make history, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday (June 20, 2026).

Attending an event to celebrate Paschim Banga Dibas at Tarakeswar in Hooghly district, Mr. Modi congratulated the Suvendu Adhikari government for implementing several schemes like Ayushman Bharat, Annapurna Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission.

The Prime Minister also asked the gathering, “Paribortan Bhalo lagche to (Do you like the change)?

Mr. Modi spoke of how the BJP government made land available for border fencing after decades of unrest. He also appreciated the ‘Swachhata Se Swagat’ initiative of the West Bengal Government.

“The glory of West Bengal will return and the state is taking steps towards a new future,” Mr Modi said.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Tarakeswar is the second visit to the state after the BJP came to power and won more than two-thirds of the seats in the 2026 assembly elections. Mr. Modi attended the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and five other cabinet ministers on May 9.

In his first address to the people of West Bengal after his Assembly poll victory, Mr. Modi said the twin-engine government was working for the people of the state. “The twin-engine government has started working at a very fast pace. Decisions are being taken at lightning speed and work on stalled projects has taken off,” he said.

The Prime Minister devoted a large part of his 30-minute speech to highlighting the importance of Paschim Banga Dibas, saying the day should remind the younger generation of the state’s history and ensure that the same mistakes of the previous government are not repeated.

“We have to repeatedly explain the meaning of Paschim Banga Divas to today’s generation. It is important that the youth understand what happened during that period when attempts were made to incorporate the whole of Bengal into Pakistan because the Congress surrendered to these conspirators,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr. Modi also alleged that the Congress left West Bengal as an orphan during Partition and indulged in the politics of appeasement after independence.

After coming to power in the state, the BJP government announced that it would observe Paschim Banga Dibas on June 20. On 20 June 1947, Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee moved a motion in the Bengal Legislative Assembly for the partition of Bengal, paving the way for the creation of a “Homeland for the Hindus of Bengal”. During the Trinamool regime, Poila Baishakh, the first day of the Bengali New Year, was observed as Paschim Banga Dibas.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who was present at the event, said that Syama Prasad Mookerjee had organized a conference at Tarakeswar in April 1947, demanding that the western part of Bengal be made the homeland of “Bengali Hindus”. Mr. Adhikari said the BJP government will honor the birth and death anniversaries of Jana Sangh founder by erecting a 125-feet tall statue of BJP’s ideological fountain in Kolkata.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will spend the night at the Lok Bhawan in Kolkata and participate in the 12th International Yoga Day celebrations on Sunday. The event will be held on Kolkata’s Red Road and around 35,000 people are likely to attend. Several installations in Kolkata along with the waterfront were decorated with bright lights on the eve of International Yoga Day.

Published – 20 Jun 2026 18:05 IST