Siliguri, 20 March: Former state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya today came
down heavily on the Trinamul Congress for accusing the CPI-M of speaking
for a division of Bengal.
In one of the graffiti written on walls across Siliguri, the Trinamul Congress says: “Vote for TMC candidate Baichung Bhuia to defeat the four conspirators of division of Bengal – BJP, GJMM, Congress, CPI-M.”
Interestingly, earlier the CPI-M led Left Front used to accuse Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, when she was in the Opposition during the separate statehood agitation led by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, of trying to divide the state by writing such graffiti on the walls and hoardings.
Virtually, Trinamul Congress has 'taken over' the CPI-M's earlier slogan to campaign for its party candidate Baichung Bhutia, with a view to garnering voters by highlighting Bengali sentiments in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha segments in the plains.Talking to reporters here, Mr Bhattacharya said: "Only the CPI-M has been protesting against the separate statehood demand. Even in the Srikrishna Commission report on Telangana, it was clearly mentioned that the CPI-M opposed creation of a separate state on the basis of language." Citing an example, the CPI-M leader said that Trinamul leader Partha Chatterjee had met GJMM activists who were fasting at Salbari as part of separate statehood movement.
"Not only this, even Miss Banarjee held a meeting with the GJMM leaders during the Gorkhaland agitation and made an alliance with them. A political alliance between the Trinamul and the GJMM was crystal clear when GJMM chief Bimal Gurung attended Miss Banerjee's rally at the Brigade in Kolkata on 30 January," he said, adding, "Since the GJMM extended support to the BJP, the Trinamul started raising the question of division of Bengal to win over Bengali sentiments in the plains after having lost control over the Hill people's aspirations."
In one of the graffiti written on walls across Siliguri, the Trinamul Congress says: “Vote for TMC candidate Baichung Bhuia to defeat the four conspirators of division of Bengal – BJP, GJMM, Congress, CPI-M.”
Interestingly, earlier the CPI-M led Left Front used to accuse Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, when she was in the Opposition during the separate statehood agitation led by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, of trying to divide the state by writing such graffiti on the walls and hoardings.
Virtually, Trinamul Congress has 'taken over' the CPI-M's earlier slogan to campaign for its party candidate Baichung Bhutia, with a view to garnering voters by highlighting Bengali sentiments in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha segments in the plains.Talking to reporters here, Mr Bhattacharya said: "Only the CPI-M has been protesting against the separate statehood demand. Even in the Srikrishna Commission report on Telangana, it was clearly mentioned that the CPI-M opposed creation of a separate state on the basis of language." Citing an example, the CPI-M leader said that Trinamul leader Partha Chatterjee had met GJMM activists who were fasting at Salbari as part of separate statehood movement.
"Not only this, even Miss Banarjee held a meeting with the GJMM leaders during the Gorkhaland agitation and made an alliance with them. A political alliance between the Trinamul and the GJMM was crystal clear when GJMM chief Bimal Gurung attended Miss Banerjee's rally at the Brigade in Kolkata on 30 January," he said, adding, "Since the GJMM extended support to the BJP, the Trinamul started raising the question of division of Bengal to win over Bengali sentiments in the plains after having lost control over the Hill people's aspirations."
CPM reaches out to other Hill parties
Siliguri, 20 March: In a significant political development, the Darjeeling district CPI-M has sought support from other regional and Hill-based political parties, including the All India Gorkha League (AIGL) and the Communist
Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM), besides also seeking help from
the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), for its candidate for the
Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, Saman Pathak.
The party's acting secretary, Jibesh Sarkar, said that not only GNLF chief Subash Ghising, but “we have also sought support from other regional parties in the Hills, while highlighting the issue of regional autonomy under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution as enshrined in Article 244, which is the party's prime issue in the Lok Sabha polls.”
Notably, the CPI-M has prepared a 21-point charter in which the party has proposed a powerful regional autonomy under the Sixth Schedule and circulated it among the Hill people. CPI-M leader Ashok Bhattacharya said he has talked to Subash Ghisingh about the matter over phone and sought his support for the party candidate. "Even Mr Ghising called me back and sought a copy of the charter, including the draft for the regional autonomy. But we have not yet received any positive response from him," Mr Bhattacharya said. (SNS)
The party's acting secretary, Jibesh Sarkar, said that not only GNLF chief Subash Ghising, but “we have also sought support from other regional parties in the Hills, while highlighting the issue of regional autonomy under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution as enshrined in Article 244, which is the party's prime issue in the Lok Sabha polls.”
Notably, the CPI-M has prepared a 21-point charter in which the party has proposed a powerful regional autonomy under the Sixth Schedule and circulated it among the Hill people. CPI-M leader Ashok Bhattacharya said he has talked to Subash Ghisingh about the matter over phone and sought his support for the party candidate. "Even Mr Ghising called me back and sought a copy of the charter, including the draft for the regional autonomy. But we have not yet received any positive response from him," Mr Bhattacharya said. (SNS)