For BJP’s first Bengal govt, what are top priorities: border fencing to law and order

On Monday, Adhikari will hold a meeting with top police officials to take stock of the law and order situation in the state.

Bengal has been rocked by post-poll violence following the BJP’s victory, in which two deaths were reported. On Wednesday night, Adhikari’s executive assistant Chandranath Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram near Kolkata by motorcycle-borne assailants.

In the run-up to the Bengal Assembly polls, the Election Commission (EC) had transferred a large number of administrative and police officers across the state. “Government has yet to decide how many of those officials who were shunted out during elections will be reinstated in prominent posts, and how many of them will remain sidelined,” said a senior BJP leader.

According to sources, Adhikari was not happy with the functioning of the home department, but expressed satisfaction over the arrangements for the oath-taking ceremony done by the PWD department.

He discussed the progress of renovation work at Writers’ Buildings where the offices of the new CM and other departments will be housed. The annexe building at the state Assembly complex is being readied for the CM’s secretariat.

After his swearing-in event, Adhikari said, “This is not the time for politics. It’s time to rebuild Bengal. We have a lot of work to do.”

The following are likely to be among the priorities of the Adhikari government in the state in coming months.

Curbing ‘infiltration’

BJP sources said the new government’s agenda includes measures against “infiltration” and bringing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which were among the party’s key poll planks.

Work for fencing of the border areas with Bangladesh is expected to be expedited with the state government set to remove bottlenecks for land acquisition for it. The BJP has promised land allocation for border fences within 45 days of coming to power. During the previous Mamata Banerjee-led TMC regime, the border fencing was stalled as the state government had failed to arrange land.

Resuming schemes

During the tenure of the Mamata government, the funding for several central schemes – including MGNREGA, Prime Minister Grameen Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, and rural road projects – were stopped.

The new government, which would be in the “double engine” mode, is expected to kickstart these schemes. “This will also partially solve rural unemployment and reduce migration,” said a senior government official.

It is learnt that Rs 2,700 crore for Jal Jeevan Mission would be released by the Centre soon.

Cash doles for women, youth

The rollout of monthly payment of Rs 3000 for women and Rs 3000 for unemployed youth has been pledged by the BJP’s election manifesto.

During the TMC regime, women received Rs 1500 per month under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, which was Rs 1,700 for women from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.

The Centre’s Ayushman Bharat would replace the Mamata government’s Swasthya Sathi health insurance scheme.

DA arrears of employees

The Adhikari government will have to mobilise funds for Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears of state employees. The BJP has also promised that within 45 days of the new government it would implement the 7th Pay Commission and clear pending DA arrears. The state employees are getting 42% lesser DA than their central counterparts. These promises would require thousands of crores per year from the public exchequer for implementation.

Employment generation

The question of creating jobs in the public and private sectors would pose a major challenge to the BJP government. During the TMC regime, the recruitment in the public sector had almost dried up due to corruption, court cases or contractual employment.

The BJP has promised regular appointment to government jobs. It is also expected to make efforts to promote labour-based industry with the help of the Centre to solve the problems of unemployment and migration.

Infrastructure

As part of its proposal to develop Bengal’s infrastructure, the BJP has promised to set up modern deep-sea ports in Tajpur and Kulpi to revitalise the state’s maritime trade and promote exports, and construct bridges over major rivers. Expanding road-connectivity would also be a priority for the BJP government.

A BJP leader said, “In Bengal, the main problem is to acquire land for development. Many projects during Mamata Banerjee’s tenure stalled due to land acquisition issues. So to improve road connectivity, government will have to acquire more land.”

The BJP has also promised to build a national highway connecting the Sundarbans directly to Darjeeling and to operationalise the Purulia, Malda, and Balurghat airports for better regional air connectivity. It has also pledged to develop four new cities in North Bengal to address “years of neglect”.

Gorkhaland issue

To find its promised “permanent solution” for the Gorkhaland demand in the Darjeeling Hills, the new BJP government is expected to start tripartite talks along with the newly appointed interlocutor Pankaj Kumar Singh, deputy national security advisor.

The Adhikari government will also have to look into demands for recognition of Kurmali and Rajbanshi languages, as the BJP fared well in North Bengal and tribal belts in the state elections.