edited by: Oindrila Mukherjee
Last Update: February 22, 2023, 23:41 IST
(From left) Bimal Gurung, Binay Tamang and Ajay Edwards suspended the strike call citing the Class 10 West Bengal Board exams starting on Thursday. (Image: Twitter/File)
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reacted strongly to the strike call and said that the TMC-led government would never allow the state to secede.
Nine opposition members of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration have once again called for a 12-hour bandh on Thursday (February 23), postponing their call for a strike on Wednesday citing the Class X West Bengal Board exams, which are scheduled to be held on that day. Starting date.
The protest is against a resolution passed in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly against “attempts to divide the state”. Hamro Party’s Ajoy Edwards, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supremo Bimal Gurung and Binay Tamang have called for the bandh. All three had recently joined hands to revive the demand for Gorkhaland. Anit Thapa’s Indian Gorkha Prajatantrik – now close to the Trinamool Congress – is not supporting the bandh.
“The resolution introduced and passed in the Bengal Legislative Assembly yesterday challenged the Indian Constitution, which is very unfortunate. As per Article 3A – The power conferred on the Parliament by clause (a) includes the power to form a new State or Union Territory by amalgamating a part of any State or Union Territory with any other State or Union Territory. We want to be separated from West Bengal. Let the whole of North Bengal stand up and fight against this dictatorial act News18He said the pro-Gorkhaland parties would continue to fight for the aspirations of the hill people.
Tamang was once a close aide of Gurung but then joined TMC and left the Mamata Banerjee-led party as well. Edwards’ Hamro Party did well in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) elections.
Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee Reacted strongly to the strike call. “We will not allow any strike. Our government will not tolerate this. We will not allow any separation. There is no question of ‘Banga Bhang’.
While a section of the BJP has demanded a separate state for North Bengal, its stand on the Gorkhaland issue is grey. TMC insiders said the BJP was playing behind the scenes by whipping up Gorkhaland sentiment to create unrest in the hills.
“We do not support the bandh, but five months back a resolution was passed in GTA in favor of Gorkhaland and TMC councilors supported it. What does TMC have to say about this?” asked BJP leader Agnimitra Paul.
The situation in the hills has been peaceful since 2017. In 2017, the mandatory inclusion of Bangla triggered the Gorkhaland movement spearheaded by Gurung and things took a violent turn. Gurung, who later fled, returned only to shake hands with the TMC-led West Bengal government. Now he has once again changed his political stand.
Experts said people want peace in the hills but with the Lok Sabha elections next year, the situation may be different.
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