No more vote-bank governance: Suvendu at Nadia meet
The Statesman | 27 May 2026
In a politically charged administrative coordination meeting at Kalyani University on Tuesday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari unveiled a sweeping governance roadmap blending welfare restructuring, administrative discipline and a hardline stand on illegal infiltration, while signalling a new phase of “nation first” politics in West Bengal.
The meeting, attended by senior bureaucrats, district officials, MPs and MLAs from Nadia, North-24-Parganas and Hooghly, assumed added political significance as at least three Trinamul Congress MLAs and Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar joined the coordination session alongside ruling alliance legislators.
Projecting the meeting as a break from what he described as the “culture of political exclusion” under the previous regime, the Chief Minister said the administration must work in coordination with all elected representatives irrespective of political affiliation.
“We want constructive governance throughout the year and political confrontation only during elections,” Mr Adhikari said, while stressing that IAS and IPS officers must accord due respect to public representatives.
The meeting, however, drew maximum attention after the Chief Minister announced a stringent policy against illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators, declaring that such individuals would no longer be kept in state jails.
“There is no need to spend taxpayers’ money on food, medicine and shelter for illegal infiltrators. Police have been instructed to hand them directly to the BSF under the existing India-Bangladesh mechanism,” he said, accusing previous governments of ignoring legal provisions for “vote-bank interests”.
He asserted that his administration would replace “rule by rulers” with “rule of law”.
Tuesday’s meeting also marked an attempt by the new administration to build visible coordination between the bureaucracy and elected representatives across party lines. Officials confirmed that opposition legislators were allowed to speak during the session, a departure from earlier practices.
Among the major announcements made at the meeting was the decision to separate the Ayush department from the health department and establish an independent Ayush ministry to expand traditional healthcare infrastructure and wellness services.
The government also announced plans to restructure welfare schemes. The existing Lakshmir Bhandar scheme will gradually be transitioned into the proposed Annapurna Yojana, while another state health assistance programme will be integrated with Ayushman Bharat.
Mr Adhikari said enrolment for the Annapurna scheme would begin immediately after the launch of a new application form from Nabanna on Wednesday. He claimed that eligible beneficiaries could start receiving Rs 3,000 assistance once enrolment is completed.
“Only Indian citizens will receive these benefits. Government funds are meant for Indians, not illegal infiltrators,” he said.
The Chief Minister further announced that free bus travel for women in state-run buses would become operational from next week.
On 5 June, coinciding with World Environment Day, tree plantation drives under the slogan “Maa-er Name Ekti Gachh” will be held across all municipalities and blocks. Between 15 and 17 June, “Janakalyan Shivirs” will be organised to connect citizens with Central and state welfare schemes.
In another notable administrative move, the government announced that the existing public grievance platform “Mukhyamantrike Bolo” would be discontinued and replaced with a new initiative titled “Apnar Sarkarke Bolun”.