I'm CM for all, says Suvendu Adhikari, shuts up 'Jai Shri Ram' chant

KOLKATA: Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday asked supporters to stop raising 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans at Jorasanko Thakurbari, saying that as CM he now "belongs to everyone".

"Eta political kochkochir somoy na (this is not the time for political bickering)," Adhikari said at the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore, which he visited minutes after being sworn in as Bengal's ninth CM to pay homage to the poet on his 166th birth anniversary. "There are huge responsibilities ahead. Those who want to do that (political bickering) may continue; we will move forward."

The CM went to Jorasanko straight from the swearing-in venue at Brigade Parade Ground. He went down on his knees and touched his forehead to the ground in front of a Tagore bust. "We assumed office today by paying our respects to Gurudev. Bengal and Bengali culture must be guided by Gurudev's consciousness and ideals. Today marks that auspicious beginning," he told reporters.

While he was speaking, there were chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' from the crowd that had assembled in the Thakurbari compound. Adhikari immediately reacted and asked the gathering not to raise such slogans. "This is not the place to say 'Jai Shri Ram', here only 'Kabiguru'," he said.

"I will not make any controversial remark. I am the chief minister. I belong to everyone now. Bengal has already suffered immense damage. Education and culture have been destroyed. Let us rebuild Bengal," he said.

The CM then spent some time talking to Rabindra Bharati University vice-chancellor Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee and a few others from the institution. The university shares one of its campuses with Thakurbari.

An RBU official said, "Since the CM is a former student of our university, the authorities requested him to spend some time on the campus. He did his master's in environmental studies (from RBU). He accepted our request, interacted with the VC at Bichitra Bhavan and had some nimki (savoury snacks) with black tea."