Will resist Bengal's division at all cost: all parties

First, the BJP Lok Sabha member from West Bengal, John Barla, on Sunday demanded separate statehood comprising the districts of North Bengal. On Monday, two other saffron MPs from the state, namely Soumitra Khan and the Raju Bista raised the demand. Soumitra Khan, however, demanded a separate Jungalmahal state.

Kolkata: BJP Lok Sabha member from West Bengal, John Barla, on Sunday demanded separate statehood comprising the districts of North Bengal. On Monday, two other saffron MPs from the state, namely Soumitra Khan and the Raju Bista raised the demand. While Soumitra Khan demanded a separate Jungalmahal state comprising the districts of Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Burdwan, Birbhum and parts of Hooghly district, Raju Bista's demand was a separate Gorkhaland stated curved out of the hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

Though BJP has not officially endorsed their demands, other political parties have described the demands as a ploy of BJP to divide West Bengal. Leaders of Trinamool Congress, Congress and CPI(M) had spoken on the same lines.

Trinamool spokesman, Kunal Ghosh said after facing a humiliating defeat in the Jungalmahal districts, the BJP Lok Sabha member is currently out of his mind. "The people of these districts have rejected BJP. So out of frustration, their elected leaders are making such divisive statements. BJP describes its opponents as 'Tukde Tukde Gangs'. Now they are trying to divide Bengal into pieces," Ghosh said.

CPI(M) leader and former leader of Left Legislative party in West Bengal assembly, Dr Sujan Chakraborty said that people will never accept such divisive tactics of BJP. "Bengal does not support divisive politics. All parties will get united and stall any conspiracy to divide Bengal," he said. He also criticised the ruling Trinamool Congress on the occasion. "Trinamool is equally responsible. Despite our repeated opposition, they passed the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Bill in the assembly. In fact, through this step Trinamool indirectly supported an attempt to divide the state," Chakraborty said.

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member, Pradip Bhattacharya said that politics to divide Bengal cannot be tolerated at any cost. "Such demands are reflections of BJP frustration of humiliating defeat in the recent assembly elections. Their existence is at stake. We strongly condemn this," he said.

BJP's state general secretary, Sayantan Basu said that Khan's statements are his personal and not of the party. "However, I support Khan's statement that the people of Jungalmahal districts were neglected for a long time. There should be a separate development board for the people of these districts. There should also be a separate package for these districts," Basu said.