By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal’s ruling Left Front chairman Biman Bose Monday said that the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland was affecting everyday life in the region and that administrative action was necessary to control the volatile situation in the Darjeeling hills.
“The situation is becoming more and more critical in Darjeeling. The state administration should take action against the ongoing Gorkhaland protest there,” Bose told reporters here.
He said: “Civil life has been badly hit due to the continuous political turmoil in the hills. A section of people has also been isolated by the agitators. These people are facing lot of problems because of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM)-sponsored movement. This could lead to a violent fallout in other parts of the state.”
Asked if the Darjeeling issue was discussed in Monday’s Left Front meeting, Bose said the matter was not on the agenda.
“But if it’s necessary, we could discuss this issue in our next meeting,” he said.
The GJM, led by its president Bimal Gurung, has been spearheading a movement in the hills for a separate state, besides opposing the Sixth Schedule status for Darjeeling district that offers greater autonomy to the region’s governing Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).
Earlier, the party organised an indefinite shutdown in the hills twice over its demand for a separate state.
Referring to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)’s demand that three West Bengal districts – Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore – be included in Jharkand, Bose said: “We should unitedly protest against this move and maintain the integrity of our state.”