Adhikari meets Nara Lokesh, gifts artefacts to forge partnership

West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari met AP IT Minister Nara Lokesh in Kolkata, gifting him two cultural artefacts. The leaders discussed leveraging shared history and cultural ties to build a futuristic partnership for economic dominance.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari presented Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information Technology and TDP National General Secretary, Nara Lokesh, with two significant cultural artefacts, including the Sacred Shad-bhuja-murti Patachitra and the Historic Sholapith Boat, during a high-profile meeting in Kolkata.

In an X post, Adhikari on Thursday described the meeting as a celebration of a "special bond" and shared that the dialogue centred on leveraging these shared values to foster a "futuristic partnership of economic dominance and mutual respect." It was my pleasure to meet with Shri Nara Lokesh Ji, Hon'ble IT Minister of Andhra Pradesh & National Working President of TDP, in Kolkata today. Our meeting touched upon our shared history, deep spiritual values, and rich cultural heritage. To honour this special bond, I gifted… pic.twitter.com/vbAYYyciNA — Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) June 18, 2026

Timeless Masterpieces of Bengal's Heritage

To mark the occasion, Adhikari "To honour this special bond, I gifted him two timeless masterpieces of Bengal's heritage. The Sacred Shad-bhuja-murti Patachitra: Handcrafted by internationally acclaimed folk artist Swarna Lata Chitrakar, this rare scroll depicts Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's six-armed manifestation. The Historic Sholapith Boat: A stunning, eco-friendly masterpiece handcrafted by local artisans from a native aquatic plant. It symbolises the 2,000-year-old ancient maritime trade route that historically connected Tamluk in West Bengal to Masulipatnam in Andhra Pradesh," he said.

"Our deep cultural ties inspire us to build a futuristic partnership of economic dominance and mutual respect," he added.

West Bengal Police to Collaborate with RRU

Earlier on Wednesday, Adhikari attended the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Rastriya Raksha University (RRU) and West Bengal Police at Nabanna, aimed at strengthening capacity building and specialised training in policing and internal security.

Speaking on the occasion, Adhikari said the proposal for collaboration was originally received from RRU in November 2025 but had remained pending. "The proposal was originally received from RRU in November 2025. During the previous government's tenure, no final decision was taken, and it remained pending. The present government has taken up the matter on priority and granted approval for the MoU between West Bengal Police and Rastriya Raksha University," he said.

The Chief Minister said the partnership would focus on specialised areas including cyber crime investigation and digital forensics, dark web intelligence and tracking, AI-enabled policing and open-source intelligence (OSINT), forensic science, counterterrorism and internal security, border intelligence and coastal security, crime trend analysis in eastern India, anti-human trafficking and organised crime, drone policing, AI-based surveillance, police leadership training, and canine training and dog breeding excellence centres. (ANI)

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