Bengal and Tripura Need to Take Call on Separate States, Not Centre: BJP MP

Kolkata: A day after West Bengal Chief Mamata Banerjee said Gorkhaland is a Centre’s issue, BJP MP from Darjeeling, SS Ahluwalia, on Thursday said it’s the state government that needs to send the proposal for a separate state to the central government.

While addressing a public rally in Tripura, he said, “Not only West Bengal, but also in Tripura, those who are demanding separate states need to understand that the call has to come first from the state and then only Centre can think over it – if it is logical.”

He said the respective states need to send an official proposal but neither West Bengal nor Tripura governments had so far sent any such proposal.

Mamata Banerjee had said on Wednesday that the Gorkhaland demand is not in her hand. “There are constitutional issues and binding obligations. It is a central government matter,” she had said after an all-party meet.

Speaking to News18, BJP’s Tripura president, Biplab Das, said, “Ahluwalia ji said that since both the states have not sent any proposal to the central government - so, as of now the question of separate states does not arise.”

He said, “The state BJP is against a separate state of Tipraland and we will never let it happen.”

Reacting on Ahluwalia’s statement, Darjeeling, MLA, Amar Singh Rai, said, “It is very unfortunate that our CM Mamata Banerjee passed the buck on central government and now our MP SS Ahluwalia ji passed the buck on state. I think both the state government and the central government are trying to play with the sentiments and emotions of the Gorkhas.”

“I think both the Centre and the state government is not serious about Gorkhaland. But we will stick to our Gorkhaland demand,” he added.

The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) also said it won’t withdraw its demand for a separate state. “We don’t know who said what but the ground realty we are not going to withdraw our demand for a separate state and the Union Home Minister promised us that he will definitely look in to our demand,” said IPFT’s working president NC Debbarma.