A day after the Greater Coochbehar People’s Association leader Anant Maharaj said that a separate “State in North Bengal is just a matter of time” the Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP of fomenting “separatism” in the northern part of the State.
“The BJP is trying to foment trouble in northern Bengal … they want to derive political mileage by keeping separatist issues alive ..they want to partition Bengal but that will not be allowed,” TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said.
His statement came barely a week after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too said that “there will be no division of Bengal … we will thwart any such move to divide our State.”
Earlier Anant Maharaj alias Anant Roy of Coochbehar said “a separate state in North Bengal is just a matter of time.” His statement came soon after his meeting with Unioin Home Minister of State Nisith Pramanik.
When asked to clarify whether he was privy to any move regarding another partition of Bengal, Pramanik came out with an evasive reply saying, “everything will be clear when appropriate time comes.”
When asked as to what transpired between him and Maharaj, the Union Minister said “we dwelt on a whole range of issues … a lot of positive things came out of our discussion … everything will be clear when the time comes.”
Subsequently when the GCPA leader was asked as to whether he had any discussion over the formation of a possible Union Territory in North Bengal he said “it is already a declared policy of the central Government … there is nothin new in it … things will be clear when appropriate time comes.”
Manoj Tigga a senior BJP MLA from North Bengal too came out with a cryptic reply saying, “if a Union Territory is formed out of this region then that will be done after discussion.
Incidentally, Mamata Banerjee and Maharaj had a meeting recently in North Bengal when the Chief Minister was visiting that part of the State. Subsequently the Chief Minister also send him some gifts and good wishes on the ocassion of Bhai Dooj (a ceremony where the siste prays for the bother).
North Bengal has been subject to several contradicting demands for ages. While the local Kamptapuri population have been demanding separate Kamtapur State the Gorkhas of Darjeeling had been asking for a separate Gorkhaland. The militant Kamtapur Liberation Organisation led by Jiban Singh too has been active in the forests of neighbouring countries in support of a Kamptapur State. On the other hand leaders like Maharaj has been asking for the creation of Greater Coochbehar State comprising parts of Coochbehar distrct and some parts of Assam.