10 August : Ruling out a separate state of Gorkhaland, the Bengal govt has said the Left Front was "in principle" against any fragmentation of the state but preferred more autonomy for the Darjeeling Hills.
"The Left parties are, in principle, opposed to the creation of smaller states, be it Gorkhaland, Vidarbha, Telangana etc," Urban Development Minister Ashok Bhattacharya told reporters in Gangtok on Sunday, ruling out the fulfillment of the demand of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).
Bhattacharya, who was in Gangtok to attend a meeting of the CPI(M)’s state committee meeting, said the stand of the West Bengal government has been consistent that it was opposed to the creation of a separate state out of West Bengal.
All mainstream political parties of West Bengal have adopted a resolution in the state assembly opposing the fragmentation of the state on any ground; he said and claimed that even the Centre was not favourably disposed to the idea of carving out of more smaller states in the country.
Referring to a proposed tripartite talks, involving the Centre, West Bengal government and the GJM, on the sensitive statehood issue, Bhattacharya hoped that the "just" demands of the people of Darjeeling hills and adjoining regions would be addressed.
On the Left Front’s vision for redressal of the grievances of the Darjeeling hills, he said the state government would like a speedy socio-economic development of the hill region which may be expedited by giving more autonomy to the Darjeeling Hills Development Council (DGHC).
"All problems of the Darjeeling hills would be sorted out amicably in time to come," Bhattacharya said.
Rubbishing charges levelled by GJM that the Left Front government has discriminated with the development of the hills region, he said "if development of the Darjeeling region has not taken place over the years, the blame should go to those who were ruling the DGHC for over two decades."
The West Bengal government has, however, proposed more autonomy to the DGHC under the proposed constitutional measures for bringing development in the Darjeeling hills region, he said.
On GJM’s writ that the vehicles plying in the Darjeeling hills must install the ‘GL’ numberplate, Bhattacharya described the step as "illegal" and said the Darjeeling district authorities have been asked to take steps even as those vehicle carrying GL numberplates in Siliguri and outside will be seized.
On the failure of the government to act against forcible installation of GL number on vehicles, he said the state government was not acting tough against the lawbreakers for the sake of peace in Darjeeling hills.
The minister also had a dig at the political class in Sikkim for supporting the demand for Gorkhaland even though the agitation had made life difficult for the people of the Himalayan state by blocking the arterial National Highway 31A, the only road link with the state.
The Bharatiya Gorkha Parishang, the apex body of Gorkha organisations, has said in Shillong that the community needed the separate state to keep its national identity.
The working president of BGP, C K Shrestha, told reporters in Gangtok on Sunday on the sidelines of the Parishang’s national executive meeting that Gorkhaland was the key to their national identity and it was the demand of over one crore Gorkhas of the country.
Criticising Subash Ghising for ‘compromising with the future of the Gorkhas’, Shrestha said, "The identity of the Gorkhas has always been misconceived as that of immigrants."
He said they needed a separate land for identity in a multi-cultural and diverse country like India. Courtsey DDINEWS