Give solution for Darjeeling development, Mamata urges hill parties
The Hindu
She promises elections to the GTA as soon as the voter list is updated
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged political parties in Darjeeling hills to come up with a plan for a “permanent solution” to the issues faced by the region. The Trinamool Congress chief emphasised that the creation of a separate State would not bring development, making a reference to Uttarakhand that is grappling with natural disasters. While chairing an administrative meeting in the hills, she told representatives of political parties to chalk out a plan to develop Darjeeling and the region as part of West Bengal.
Since the 1980s, politics in the Darjeeling hills has been centred around the demand of creation of the separate state of Gorkhaland. In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, despite registering an emphatic win across the State, the Trinamool Congress could not win a majority of seats in north Bengal, including in Darjeeling district.