By IANS,
Siliguri : Social activist Medha Patkar Sunday said that the Gorkhaland agitation and recent disturbances in northern West Bengal were a result of years of neglect and lack of development in the region. “These kinds of happenings are offshoots of years of deprivation and lack of development,” Patkar said at a mass convention on communal harmony here.
“But this is not a one-off case. We are seeing similar moments in various parts of the country,” she said.
Urging the authorities to identify and redress the real issues for a long-term solution to the problems in the northern part of the state, Patkar said: “What is worrisome is that some political organisations use such incidents to further their vested interests. They also try to trigger ethnic riots, thus complicating the situation”.