West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. , Photo Credit: PTI
A wave of resolution against any bifurcation of West Bengal in the state assembly was felt in Darjeeling on Tuesday as pro-Gorkhaland parties called for a 12-hour bandh in the hills on February 23. However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the government would take action against anyone trying to impose a bandh, reiterating that it was not in favor of dividing the state.
on monday the The West Bengal Assembly had passed a resolution against attempts to split the state, tuesday morning nine sabhasad (Members) of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) sat on a hunger strike in Darjeeling. Pro-Gorkhaland parties like Hamro Party and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) have called for a bandh from 6 am to 6 pm on February 23.
GTA Member binay tamangA prominent leader of the hill region said the bandh was in protest against a resolution moved and passed in the state assembly. Mr Tamang, who recently quit the Trinamool Congress, appealed to the people of Darjeeling hills to participate in the bandh if they wanted a separate Gorkhaland state, saying essential services were kept out of the purview of the strike call. Will go GTA sabhasad Hamro also joined the hunger strike under the leadership of party leader Ajay Edwards.
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‘No shutdown allowed’
Taking part in a program in North Bengal on Tuesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that there will be no bandh in the state. He informed that the West Bengal Board Class 10 exams are starting from February 23 and urged that students should not face any kind of problem.
“Bandh politics has been done away with in West Bengal. I have heard that some people in the hills have become active again and have called for a bandh. They call bandh every five years for their politics. I do not support any bandh. He directed the state administration to take strict action against those who would attempt the bandh. However, the CM said that people have the right to protest peacefully.
Ms Banerjee reiterated that she would not allow any division of the state. “On International Mother Language Day, I am reiterating that there will be no division of West Bengal,” she said.
Reviving Gorkhaland Campaign
A resolution opposing the efforts to divide West Bengal was moved by Trinamool Congress MLA Satyajit Burman in the Assembly on Monday and passed by voice vote. Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba and Kurseong MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma opposed the motion and spoke in favor of a separate Gorkhaland state, a long-standing demand of the people of the Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars. State government ministers Firhad Hakim and Sovandeb Chattopadhyay also spoke in favor of the resolution.
In support of the demand for a separate state, bandhs have been organized in the past as well. However, after 100 days of violent bandh in the Darjeeling hills from June to September 2017, the region hardly saw any strike. The GTA, a regional autonomous body that governs the Darjeeling Hills, was set up in 2011 as part of a tripartite agreement between the Centre, the state and the GJM. The GTA elections were held in June 2022 and were won by the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha led by Anit Thapa. majority in elections.
Mr. Thapa is considered close to the ruling Trinamool Congress. Over the last few months, there have been fresh political realignments in the hills with the coming together GJM President Bimal Gurung, Hamro Party chief Ajay Edwards and Binay Tamang. All the three leaders are trying to start a campaign on the issue of Gorkhaland.
BJP legislators on Tuesday protested in the West Bengal Assembly against Sovandeb Chattopadhyay’s remarks while participating in the debate on the resolution in the state assembly. The minister referred to the “influx” of people from the Nile in Darjeeling, which was opposed by the Kurseong MLA. BJP chief whip Manoj Tigga and other BJP MLAs demanded that the minister should withdraw his remarks and apologise.