West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday (August 15, 2026) promised to restore the old glory of the State in his maiden Independence Day speech. “The dream of a developed India by 2047 can only be realised through a developed West Bengal,” Mr. Adhikari said, delivering an Independence Day speech at Kolkata’s Red Road.

Also read: Independence Day 2026 highlights

Mr. Adhikari, who was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal on May 9, 2026, said that the priorities of his government include creating jobs, women empowerment and women's security, and improving the law and order situation in the State.

While hoisting the national Tricolour, the Chief Minister also recalled June 20, 1947, when, according to him, West Bengal was incorporated within the rest of India.

Mr. Adhikari lauded Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee as the architect of West Bengal. “Our two luminaries, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Rabindranath Tagore, composed the national song Vande Mataram and the national anthem Jana Gana Mana, respectively, which stirred the entire nation,” he said.

Mr. Adhikari also urged people of the State to rise above political narrowness and join hands in the development of the State. He assured the gathering that the oath taken by him at Brigade Parade Grounds in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 9, 2026, will be honoured.

Mr. Adhikari honoured 14 IPS officers with the ‘Chief Minister’s Medal’ for outstanding contribution. After the parade, a total of 12 tableaux were displayed. A tableau of Syama Prasad Mookerjee was also displayed at Kolkata Red Road.