West Bengal CM flays ‘Azadi’ slogans at Jadavpur

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited Jadavpur for a public recital of the national song Vande Mataram, which saw thousands of people join the Chief Minister. File. | Photo Credit: ANI

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday (August 28, 2026) participated in an event near the Jadavpur University campus, where he criticised a section of students raising Azadi slogans and vowed to restore the spirit of nationalism on the campus.

Mr. Adhikari visited Jadavpur for a public recital of the national song Vande Mataram, which saw thousands of people joining the Chief Minister.

“What freedom do you want? Freedom to consume heroin, ganja and drugs? Freedom for the tukde-tukde gang?” the Chief Minister said, flaying the slogans of Azadi (freedom) raised by a section of students.

“What Azadi do you want? ‘ Kashmir Mange Azadi ’,” Mr. Adhikari asked. According to the Chief Minister, during Operation Sindoor, university students took out rallies not in favour of the country but to stop the war. “Go write Free Pak Occupied Kashmir first. It is ours and it must be returned!” he said.

The Chief Minister’s visit comes within 10 days after the supporters of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left students’ unions clashed on the Jadavpur campus on August 19. The university has set up an inquiry committee and multiple FIRs have been registered in connection with the incident.

A nearly 1-km-long ramp was erected for the programme. Traffic movement along Raja Subodh Chandra Mallick Road was suspended between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., while four gates of Jadavpur University remained closed.

Issuing a stern warning to the students, whom he described as “ill-mannered”, the Chief Minister said, “Either they will stay, or we will. There will be nothing in between”. The Chief Minister made references to Nandigram and Jangalmahal, claiming he had freed those areas of Communists and Maoists.

Describing himself as someone who can clean “garbage”, Mr. Adhikari said, “I know the ailment and also the medicine”. He also challenged the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA), stating that students cannot hide behind the association. He recalled an earlier incident at the university during his tenure as the Leader of the Opposition when a student died due to ragging. The Chief Minister said that some people had jumped on his vehicle then and, when questioned, replied: “We are Maoists. We have come to tell you to go back”.

A few days ago, the Chief Minister directed an immediate inquiry into alleged “anti-national” graffiti and posters reported at the boys’ hostel of the university’s Arts unit.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments.