West Bengal Assembly passes resolution against attempts to divide Bengal

Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba said the demand for Gorkhaland had nothing to do with division of territory of West Bengal but about demerger of territory that was merged with West Bengal after Independence

A resolution against attempts to divide Bengal was passed by voice vote in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Monday. The motion was tabled by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Satyajit Barman under Rule 185 of the Procedures and Conduct of Business of the State Assembly and evoked sharp discussion in the Treasury and the Opposition benches.

West Bengal Ministers Firhad Hakim and Sovandeb Chattopadhay spoke in favour of the motion and said that the development needs of the people of north Bengal can be addressed but any attempts to divide the State will be resisted. MLAs from Darjeeling, Neeraj Zimba and Kurseong Bishnu Prasad Sharma, raised the pitch for the demand of Gorkhaland.

Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba said that the demand for Gorkhaland had nothing to do with division of territory of West Bengal but about demerger of territory that was merged with West Bengal after Independence. Mr. Zimba, who represents the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), pointed out that Darjeeling was an integral part of Sikkim and the demand for demerger is within the ambit of the Constitution.

Speaking against the resolution, Kurseong MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma said that it’s the Parliament that is empowered by the Constitution on the issue of creation of a separate State and the resolution could not be discussed in the Assembly.

Mr. Sharma, who emphasised that the people of the constituency had voted for him to raise the issue of Gorkhaland, called for a referendum on the issue of a separate State. “This is not important — what the BJP or the Trinamool Congress thinks about the issue — but what people of the region feel. You [the State government] can have a tripartite meeting set up by DGHC (Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council) or GTA (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration). Why can’t we have a referendum?” he asked.

Mr. Hakim emphasised that the people of the State were willing to die but would not be allowed any division of West Bengal. The Minister said that since the 1980s, when the agitation for a separate State of Gorkhaland was started by Subhash Ghising of the GNLF, the BJP had made attempts to divide West Bengal. Mr. Chattopadhyay said the division of the State was a sensitive issue. He admitted there were issues related to the development of the region but after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had assumed office, the development needs had been addressed.

BJP MLAs who participated in the debate neither supported nor opposed the motion, claiming that the language of resolution was “unclear”. BJP MLA Dipak Barman spoke about the lack of educational and health facilities in north Bengal, and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari termed the motion a “political stunt” ahead of the panchayat polls.