Kolkata, Oct. 30 -- Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday vowed to reclaim illegally occupied land and distribute it among the poor, particularly members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Addressing a rally in Baruipur, South 24-Parganas, he said he had asked the Land department secretary to identify and recover grabbed land.

He also warned that those involved in alleged corruption in Baruipur would be arrested and brought to justice.

"People didn't just vote for a change in colour; it was a mandate for changing the system," Adhikari said, referring to the BJP's victory over the Trinamool Congress.

On the Annapurna Yojana, he claimed that genuinely eligible beneficiaries were receiving assistance and assured that others meeting the criteria would also be covered. He also reiterated his government's resolve to shut down illegal cattle slaughterhouses.

Alluding to former CM Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari dared her to contest elections again. He said Banerjee, who had broken away from the Congress to form the Trinamool Congress, was now seeking political relevance by "bowing at the feet" of the party she had abandoned.

"You should go to Delhi. There is nothing left for you in West Bengal. You are trying to find a political foothold there by hobnobbing with the Congress and the CPI(M)," he said.

A day after Mamata Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee warned that no police officer would be spared for allegedly implicating party workers in false cases if the party returned to power, Adhikari attributed the latter's "incoherent statements" to a "sodium-potassium imbalance". Calling Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek "political liabilities", the Chief Minister urged people to be patient, promising action against those accused of wrongdoing.

"I know you all have a question: when will the big thief be put behind bars? Don't worry, it will happen soon; just have some patience," he said.

On alleged post-poll violence, Adhikari urged victims who had not lodged police complaints to do so. In an apparent reference to former minister Indranil Sen, he also issued a veiled warning to Mamata Banerjee, recalling a musical event at which the two had performed together. "Those who have performed duets with him (Indranil Sen) will also have to go behind bars," he said.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.