Gorkhaland agitation: Mamata Banerjee remains firm on ‘no division of Bengal’ stand

Speaking on Gorkhaland agitation on Thursday, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reiterated that she will not allow the division of the state.

Kolkata, June 30: The tussle between the pro-Gorkhaland parties and the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal over the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland is set for a further flare-up as all the stakeholders remain firm on their respective stands.

On Thursday, when all the political and the non-political pro-Gorkhaland parties decided to continue with their Gorkhaland agitation, the WB Chief Minister reiterated that she will not allow the division of the state.

"Bengal cannot be divided. I will not allow it," she said at a public meeting in Burdwan. Hitting out at the Centre, the CM added, "They cannot tackle Kashmir. They are peeping (into Darjeeling)."

Once again repeating her previous statement that the ongoing violence in Darjeeling and adjoining hills is a "plot by vested interest groups", Banerjee said, "Whatever be the conspiracy, we will fight unitedly."

Banerjee had earlier stated that the agitation for Gorkhaland, being spearheaded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), was a "deep-rooted conspiracy" and supported by insurgent groups of the Northeast and some foreign countries.

On Thursday, the pro-Gorkhaland parties in a meeting held in Kalimpong decided to continue with the indefinite bandh called by the GJM on June 15. A 30-member Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GLMCC) was formed during the meeting to carry forward the agitation.

"Henceforth, the GJM will not lead the ongoing agitation. The GLMCC will be the guiding force. There will be collective programmes in which all the constituent parties and organisations will take part" said Binay Tamang, assistant secretary, the GJM.

The members of the committee decided to meet again on July 6 to prepare a roadmap for their future course of action. "If the situation demands we will launch a fast unto death" stated Dawa Pakhrin, president of the Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Morcha, a constituent of the GLMCC.

On Wednesday, the GJM activists held fresh demonstrations for Gorkhaland as security forces kept a strict vigil in the hills which remained tense due to the indefinite shutdown.

The army, meanwhile, was withdrawn from the restive hills after the state government sought its pull-out. The GJM supporters had torched an office of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) on Wednesday prompting the police to briefly detain two central committee members of the party, Samuel Gurung and RB Bhujal.

Both were released after two hours. Protesters also ransacked a panchayat office in Bijanbari area, 25 kilometres from Darjeeling.

Meanwhile, the ban on internet services in the hills has been extended till Friday. Darjeeling district magistrate Joyshree Dasgupta, in her order, said the "situation of emergency continues", whereby "unsubstantiated information is being circulated in some sections of the media" with the intent to inflaming emotions and "provoking the public in to violence".

OneIndia News