“Netaji’s Language, Not Gandhi’s”: Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari Issues Stern Warning Over Kashmir Slogans at Jadavpur University

Kolkata, September 11, 2026

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has sharply escalated his confrontation with Jadavpur University (JU), warning that his government will respond “not in Gandhi’s language, but in the language of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose” if slogans demanding freedom for Kashmir are raised on the campus.

Speaking in the state Assembly on Thursday, Adhikari said that “anti-national forces must be dealt with” and that sympathisers of such forces at the university required “strict medicines.” He added that anyone backing slogans such as “Bharat tere tukde honge” would face action.

Remarks made during debate on universities Bill

The Chief Minister’s comments came during a special session of the Assembly convened to take up the West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. The Bill, which empowers the government to transfer teaching and non-teaching staff among eight state universities, was passed by 171 votes to 15.

Defending the legislation, Adhikari said that through the new mechanism, academics he described as “so-called pundits” would be sent to newly established institutions, which would benefit from their presence. He told those unhappy with the government’s service conditions and transfer rules that they were free to quit their jobs.

The debate soon moved from administrative reform to the recent row over political slogans and graffiti on the JU campus. Adhikari struck a carrot-and-stick tone, noting that the university would receive grants of Rs 1,300 crore, while warning that those calling for India’s break-up would face the consequences.

He also targeted the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA), claiming the government held records of its members’ past activities. Referring to the 1970 killing of former JU vice-chancellor Gopal Sen during the Naxalite period, he said the government could set up a commission to probe the murder if necessary.

Weeks of escalating rhetoric

Thursday’s statement is the latest in a series of pointed interventions by the Chief Minister concerning the university. In late August, Adhikari criticised a mural on campus referring to slain Maoist leader Kishenji, as well as “Azadi,” Kashmir-related and “Free Palestine” slogans, while repeatedly invoking India’s freedom struggle and figures such as Netaji and Matangini Hazra.

Earlier this week, he led a three-kilometre “Gerua Samman Yatra” from Golpark to the university, where he vowed to uproot those raising “Kashmir Mange Azadi” and “red salute” slogans on the campus and said he would not tolerate any insult to the saffron colour. He also announced a three-day Vedic recital programme in the area.

The Netaji versus Gandhi framing

By contrasting Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence with the more militant path of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who raised the Indian National Army to fight British rule, Adhikari drew on a symbol with deep emotional resonance in Bengal. Netaji remains one of the state’s most revered icons, and invoking his “language” signals that the government intends to take an uncompromising line.

Supporters of the Chief Minister see the remarks as a firm stand for national unity and against slogans they regard as seditious. They argue that publicly funded institutions should not become platforms for calls questioning India’s territorial integrity.

Critics, however, are likely to view the rhetoric as an attempt to intimidate a campus long known for its independent and largely Left-leaning student politics. Questions over academic freedom, freedom of expression and the use of state power against universities have repeatedly surfaced in similar controversies at campuses across the country. Some JU faculty have already pushed back against the Chief Minister’s broader characterisation of the university; computer science professor Nandini Mukherjee, a former CPI(M) candidate, disputed his description of the campus as a Maoist stronghold.

The staff transfer Bill has also drawn concern within academic circles, where some fear it could be used to penalise faculty members who oppose the government.

What lies ahead

Jadavpur University, one of India’s top-ranked public institutions, has frequently found itself at the centre of Bengal’s political battles, and the latest exchange suggests the standoff between the state government and sections of the campus is far from over.

With a major grant package on the table, new powers to transfer staff, and the Chief Minister signalling zero tolerance for what he calls anti-national activity, the coming weeks will test how the university’s administration, teachers and students respond, and whether the confrontation remains confined to words.