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Two BJP MPs demand North Bengal UT, Mamata Banerjee says won't allow to divide state

 The demand for a separate UT was raised and discussed at a closed-door meeting at the residence of BJP's Alipurduar MP John Barla on Sunday. BJP MP from Jalpaiguri, Jayanta Roy, who was present in the meeting, supported the demand.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would not allow BJP to divide the state and "take away people's rights". (File Photo: PTI)

Two BJP MPs have demanded bifurcation of West Bengal and carving out a union territory comprising North Bengal districts out of the state.

According to a report by PTI, the demand for a separate UT was raised and discussed at a closed-door meeting at the residence of BJP's Alipurduar MP John Barla on Sunday. BJP MP from Jalpaiguri, Jayanta Roy, who was present in the meeting, supported the demand.

"I made the demand as there have been movements here for a separate Kamtapuri, a greater Cooch Behar and for Gorkhaland. My belief is that North Bengal should be detached and made into a separate union territory," PTI quoted Barla as saying.

The Lok Sabha member from Alipurduar, who earlier led an agitation for an autonomous tribal area, said small states perform better.

In the last few years, BJP has emerged as a dominating force in north Bengal. The saffron camp successfully maintained their supremacy in north Bengal districts in the recently-concluded West Bengal Assembly election.

Barla and three other BJP MPs of the region will soon pitch this demand to the party's central leadership in Delhi. He is hopeful of discussing the idea with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and in the Parliament as well.

The ruling Trinamool Congress launched a scathing attack on the BJP over the demand of Bengal bifurcation. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would not allow BJP to divide the state and "take away people's rights".

The West Bengal Chief Minister said, "They should be ashamed after their humiliating loss in the elections but, instead, they are trying to divide Bengal. In whose interest are they trying to split Bengal?"

Banerjee said the formation of a Union territory would take away people's rights as it denies them the benefits of statehood. "I will not allow anyone to divide Bengal. UT means being at the mercy of New Delhi and losing all freedom. But I will not allow North Bengal or any other part of Bengal to lose its freedom and become dependent on New Delhi," she said.

However, the BJP's state unit has distanced itself from Barla's remarks. BJP Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh said they don't have any agenda of dividing Bengal.

"None of our officials has said any such thing. I want to make it clear that the BJP has no such agenda to divide Bengal or create a different state," Dilip Ghosh, the Medinipur MP, said.

After Independence, North Bengal has seen several movements by different ethnic groups asking for separate territories. However, none of them demanded statehood for North Bengal in its entirety.

The longest and most violent agitation movement in North Bengal has been for Gorkhaland. It seems to have been temporarily resolved by a series of accords and peace treaties, leading to the establishment of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

Other movements such as for Kamtapuri, which saw the setting up of the proscribed Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, have largely petered out.

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