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BJP does not support division of West Bengal, says Suvendu Adhikari
Political observers and a section of BJP leaders feel that any support to division of the State will hamper the party’s electoral prospects in south Bengal, the region that elects more MPs and MLAs
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari
| Photo Credit: PTI
Amidst calls by BJP leaders in West Bengal and outside fordivision of the State, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said on Monday that the party does not want any bifurcation.
“The BJP has a clear stand. We do not support any division of West Bengal, separate or creation of Union Territories out of the State,’ the BJP MLA from Nandigram told journalists outside the premises of Assembly.
Last week, the BJP MP from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, had sought the creation of a Union Territory comprising Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal, a few districts of Bihar, and the Santhal Parganas region of Jharkhand.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar’s proposal to bring north Bengal under Northeast sparks row
Mr. Adhikari dubbed the remarks by BJP legislators from Murshidabad in support of Mr. Dubey as their “personal opinion”.
West Bengal BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Shamik Bhattacharya had earlier said the State BJP would not support any bifurcation.
Not only Mr. Dubey, but State BJP president and Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar has also triggered controversy with his remarks that parts of north Bengal be included in the north-east region. Though Mr. Majumdar clarified that he did not want any division of the State, his remarks added fuel to the demand for statehood for Gorkhaland and Greater Cooch Behar.
Partition of Bengal: New Demands and Old Memories
Mr. Adhikari, however, added that “infiltrators” should be identified, and “Rohingya infiltrators” would have to be pushed out of the State. The BJP leader said that at 72 places along the India-Bangladesh border, the West Bengal government had refused to give land to the Border Security Force (BSF) to erect fences.
‘Develop north Bengal’
“Attempts should be made to address developmental concerns of north Bengal by setting up AIIMS and IIT- like institutions,” he said. Mr. Adhikari added that while a secretariat had been set up in north Bengal none of the secretaries were available to provide services to the people.
Political observers and a section of BJP leaders feel that any support to division of the State will hamper the party’s electoral prospects in south Bengal, the region that elects more MPs and MLAs. For instance, of the 42 MPs from the State, only eight are from north Bengal and 34 are from south Bengal.
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul and other legislators raise slogans during a protest outside the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in Kolkata on July 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
During the proceedings in the Assembly, the BJP MLAs staged a walkout in protest against the inclusion of Trinamool Congress MLA Suman Kanjilal in a discussion as BJP legislator. Mr. Kanjilal was elected on BJP ticket in 2021 but later shifted his allegiance to the Trinamool. The MLA was included in a discussion on erosion control and flood mitigation as a BJP MLA.
Mr. Adhikari also added that the BJP MLAs would continue to boycott Minister and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim for his ‘Dawat-e-Islam’ comment in the Assembly. Mr. Hakim, at a recent religious event in Kolkata, had reportedly said that those not born in Islam were “unfortunate” and should be brought into its fold. The BJP MLAs protested against Mr. Hakim’s comments by holding Bhagwad Gita on Friday.
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