Bengal Congress chief blames Mamata for Darjeeling unrest
Kolkata June 13 (IANS) Holding West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for the spurt in violence in West Bengal s northern hills state Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday alleged the situation has worsened due to her politics of threat and intimidation.
Coming down heavily on Banerjee s handling of the renewed flare-up in Darjeeling Hills Chowdhury said her politics of vengeance and confusing statements had only stoked the fire.
The Trinamool chief (Mamata Banerjee) wanted to capture her political sway in the hills. But the Trinamool could not win the civic polls in Darjeeling Kalimpong and Kurseong. So now in anger she is pursuing a politics of revenge Chowdhury told media persons.
Chowdhury also blamed the Chief Minister for the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) reviving the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.
May I ask who provided legitimacy to the demand for Gorkhaland? Who named the hill development body Gorkhaland Territorial Administration? Is it not Mamata Banerjee? he said.
Chowdhury said the people of hills and the tourists who had gone there were in a misearable state as they are sandwiched between Banerjee and the GJM -- both of whom are trying to establish their supremacy there.
On the one hand there is the dadagiri of (GJM chief) Bimal Gurung. On the other there is the didigiri of Mamata Banerjee. The common people and the tourists are caught between the two he said.
Referring to Banerjee s earlier announcement that Bengali would be a compulsory subject in all schools of the state up to Class X the Congress MP said: Then again she qualified it by saying that the language would be taught only as an optional subject in the hills. Her confusing comments are eroding her credibility.
The state Congress chief announced that his party would undertake a Siliguri Chalo rally on June 17 to restore peace in the hills and strengthen the bonds of fraternity between the people of hills and plains.
--IANS
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