BJP will come to power in Bengal in 2026 assembly polls: Pradhan

Kolkata, Feb 9 (PTI) Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday asserted that the BJP will come to power in West Bengal in the 2026 assembly elections.

The Union Education Minister also accused the Mamata Banerjee government of putting roadblocks to the implementation of central projects in West Bengal, while falsely accusing the Centre of ignoring the state.

“BJP’s vote share in West Bengal has been around 30-40 per cent since 2019 and if the party gets another 10 per cent of votes, it will dislodge the Mamata Banerjee government from power,” Pradhan said while addressing a press meet here on the salient features of Union budget.

Stating that the rout of Aam Admi Party (AAP) in Delhi assembly elections showed people’s overwhelming faith in the BJP and the rejection of the “corrupt” Arvind Kejriwal government, Pradhan said in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP made its mark in West Bengal by bagging 18 of the 42 seats in the state.

“We won 77 seats in the 2021 assembly polls and 12 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 general elections. BJP’s voting percentage has been around 30-40 per cent since 2019 and we need another 10 per cent of the votes to come to power in West Bengal. In 2026, we will be in power in the state,” he said.

Pradhan said that when he was the Union Petroleum Minister, he wanted to set up a 710-km gas pipeline connecting Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

However, the West Bengal portion remains to be implemented even after seven years despite taking up the issue with the state government on several occasions, he said.

Pradhan accused the TMC government of not giving land for extending the pipeline to West Bengal and not cooperating with the Centre for implementing railway projects and establishing more Navodaya schools in the state.

“The TMC regime perhaps thinks Prime Minister Narendra Modi will get the credit if any centrally sponsored project is implemented in the state. While the railways has hiked annual allocation to West Bengal from Rs 4,000 crore during the UPA rule to Rs 13,995 crore since the NDA came to power in 2014, the state government has failed to convert the hike by implementing railway projects,” he alleged, adding it is sitting on many projects which affect the people.

On the education sector, Pradhan said the state is unfairly criticising the University Grants Commission (UGC) for its draft guideline which accorded the power to the chancellor to run the affairs of state-run universities, including the appointment of vice chancellors, going by the recommendations of the search committee constituted by the Supreme Court.

“UGC is not a political party… it is an autonomous body having a key role in the functioning of universities in the country. The role and primacy of the UGC had been acknowledged by the Supreme Court in the past. But the TMC-run government in West Bengal is bent on undermining the authority of the UGC. The state education minister is regularly criticising the UGC and the governor, who is the chancellor of state universities as per well-laid-out principles and rules,” he said.

“One recommendation of UGC guideline calls for appointing college and university assistant professors based on their skills in language. If Mamata Banerjee believes in giving scope to people having proficiency in Bengali, she should not object to the appointment of any such eligible candidate,” the Union minister said.

Similarly, the state had objected to the New Education Policy of the Centre though several of its features had been incorporated by the state education department while other states had publicly praised the NEP, Pradhan said, alleging that the West Bengal government opposes any scheme only for political considerations.

The West Bengal government and Governor C V Ananda Bose had been at loggerheads over the appointment of vice chancellors of state-run universities.

Dwelling on the budget, Pradhan said that on the education front, it has the objective to inculcate scientific temperament and quest for innovation among children.

The government has already set up 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) to whet the appetite for out-of-the-box innovation ideas among the students which is a teaching-research innovation, he said.

He sought the state’s cooperation in implementing the initiative aimed at holistic development of children.

The Union Education Minister said the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Yojana aims at the NEP 2020 vision of promoting multilingualism in education.

“Hope the TMC government in West Bengal will understand the merit of the Bharatiya Bhasa Pustak Yojana if they believe in children learning in their mother tongue, if they (TMC) are really serious and committed about children having clarity in thoughts. Otherwise, their opposition will be again due to political considerations,” he said.

He said the Centre is providing internet connectivity to 1.3 lakh government-run schools across the country.