States » EastPosted at: Oct 15 2026 11:21PM


Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari likens troublemakers to cockroaches, calls for tougher action

Midnapore, Oct 15 (UNI) Invoking the imagery of cockroaches and bedbugs to target those allegedly working to weaken the country from within, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday called for a tougher government response while reacting to a question about a reported notice asking actor Irrfan Khan to leave the country over his alleged support for the Kashmir movement.
“Because our country is liberal, people are exploiting that freedom to weaken the country from within and attack its constitutional institutions. The government must deal with this more firmly. That is what the people want,” Adhikari told reporters on the sidelines of a Durga Puja inauguration at Mechagram in East Midnapore.
Referring to a proposed march to the Supreme Court, he said people across the country would not allow such activities to continue. He then asked whether bleaching powder and phenyl were available to kill cockroaches and bedbugs. The circumstances and legal basis of the reported notice to the actor could not be independently established from the interaction.
Later, addressing the 36th-year Durga Puja celebrations of Mechagram Samaj Shiksha Sangha, Adhikari claimed that 58,000 community pujas had received police permission in West Bengal this year, against 45,000 in 2025.
He described the increase of 13,000 pujas as a sign of change, asserting that organisers had not been forced to approach the Calcutta High Court for permission.
Turning to local politics, the Chief Minister said those who had allegedly created disturbances in the area in the past had now gone into hiding.
“I hope those who used to create disturbances here have, for now, gone into hiding. It is your responsibility to ensure that they remain there,” he told the gathering.
Describing himself as a friend of the people, Adhikari assured BJP MLA Sintu Senapati that government clearances and funds would not stand in the way of development in West Panskura.
He promised to transform the constituency into a model Assembly segment, with measures to address recurring floods, improve healthcare and expand technical education and employment.
He also pledged support for floriculture, betel leaf and paddy farmers, job opportunities for migrant workers willing to return home, and benefits under the proposed Annapurna Yojana for eligible women.
On the festival, Adhikari insisted that Durga Puja must follow Sanatan traditions and the prescribed religious calendar.
He said celebrations should not begin during Pitri Paksha and urged residents to observe the festival in accordance with the traditional almanac.
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