After newly appointed minister John Barla demanded a separate state or a Union Territory in north Bengal, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh in Jalpaiguri said the demand was not “illegal”.
Ghosh, who shared the dais with MoS Barla at Shohid Samman Yatra to commemorate the victims of post-poll violence in the state, said, “Separate state is not John Barla’s demand, it is the demand of people of North Bengal who have not seen development for 75 years. People of North Bengal have chosen John Barla as their elected representative… John Barla has asked for the separate statehood of North Bengal, which is not illegal.”
Barla had demanded for a separate state or a Union Territory in north Bengal on June 13, saying that the region was underdeveloped. On June 21, BJP MP Saumitra Khan from Bishnupur demanded that Junglemahal should be made a separate state.
Reacting to Ghosh’s remarks, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy tweeted, “BJP encouraging fissiparous elements to divide Bengal after suffering humiliating defeat in the recent assembly elections.”
TMC won with a thumping majority in the state early this year except in northern districts such as Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri where the saffron party performed much better.
When asked again about the same statehood demand, Ghosh said, “I have said if North Bengal, Jangalmahal want a separate state then Mamata Banerjee will be responsible for that. Why are people still deprived (there)? The party should think what to do.”
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