CM Suvendu Adhikari visits hometown Kanthi, gets rousing reception

Since the morning, a serpentine line of people coming from different parts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur, as well as from other districts, was seen outside his Kanthi residence as police and security forces were managing the crowd, most of them carrying flowers and bouquets in their hands.

West Bengal's newly sworn-in Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari received a rousing reception as he visited his hometown Kanthi in Purba Medinipur district in the early hours of Sunday, with thousands of supporters thronging outside his residence to greet him. After taking the oath at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata on Saturday and completing official engagements throughout the day, Adhikari left for Kanthi late at night following a puja at Kalighat Kali temple. His convoy reached his Kanthi residence 'Shantikunj' around 2 am, but despite the late hour, a sea of supporters had gathered around the neighbourhood since evening. As his vehicle approached the locality, the crowd erupted in slogans, showering him with flowers and garlands. The convoy was forced to slow down due to the huge turnout, prompting Adhikari to come out of his vehicle and acknowledge the cheering supporters. Visibly moved by the reception, the chief minister folded his hands and appealed to the crowd to disperse, saying, ''It is very late now, please return home.'' The atmosphere resembled a festival, with locals celebrating the rise of their ''son of the soil'' to the state's top post. Adhikari also sought the blessings of his parents after reaching home. Father Sisir Adhikari and mother Gayatri Adhikari had reportedly stayed awake till late at night to welcome him home. Local residents and childhood acquaintances described Adhikari as determined and resolute, attributing his rise to political prominence to his strong will and persistence. Since the morning, a serpentine line of people coming from different parts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur, as well as from other districts, was seen outside his Kanthi residence as police and security forces were managing the crowd, most of them carrying flowers and bouquets in their hands. ''I have come from the Nandakumar area. I am overjoyed as 'Dada' (Suvendu) has become the CM. He is very down to earth, and whenever he went to our area, he made it a point to talk to me. He is very gentle,'' Radharani Das, a woman, said. Bijay Naskar, a resident of Diamond Harbour from South 24 Parganas, said he had been waiting for Adhikari since the morning. ''I don't directly belong to any political party, but I support the BJP. I wish to congratulate Dada and also inform him that the victory of the BJP has inspired lakhs of people like us to voice our protests over any injustice without fear and exercise our rights against any tyranny and muscle power,'' the elderly person said. A senior police officer said there will be no barricade before the residence of the CM in Kanthi to ensure people are not inconvenienced, and the central and state security personnel manning the place will do their job. A member of the Adhikari family said, ''We don't want any barricade to be put up, causing problems for people, our neighbours, the visitors, people passing by the building.'' Incidentally, the barricades put up before the residences of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had been removed a few days back after the election results were announced in the wake of assessment of present security perceptions.