West Bengal Assembly passes motion against separate statehood
KOLKATA: Amid the demand for a separate statehood by a section of BJP MPs elected from the northern part of West Bengal, the Bengal Assembly Monday passed a motion tabled by the Trinamool Congress in the Assembly against the split.
The motion was tabled by TMC MLA Satyajit Barman stating that certain forces are trying to create a division in the state’s present status and harm the culture of Bengal.
The BJP made deep inroads in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by bagging seven seats out of eight in north Bengal comprising eight districts. Banking on allegations of a step-motherly attitude towards north Bengal raised by a section of the people from the region, a section of BJP MPs elected from the northern part of the state raised a demand for separate statehood to woo the sentiment part of the populace.
The BJP's high command, on several occasions, made it clear that they don’t want to split the state and support the demand for separate statehood.
The Leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari termed the move a political stunt. "The people of north Bengal are deprived of basic rights. The state government should treat it with priority," he said, without clearing his stance on the motion against or in support.