By IANS,
Kolkata : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to divide West Bengal and asserted that it would make BJP’s tie-up with the pro-Gorkhaland Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) a poll issue.
“It is astonishing that the BJP has promised in its election manifesto to look into the Gorkhaland issue sympathetically. It is the reflection of its double standards,” CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose told reporters.
The CPI-M’s reaction came in the wake of the GJM joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and extending support to Jaswant Singh’s candidature from the Darjeeling seat. The BJP manifesto has promised to consider sympathetically the GJM’s demand for a Gorkhaland state to be carved out of parts of north Bengal including Darjeeling.
Bose said the BJP had not supported the Gorkhaland demand at the all-party meeting in the state secretariat and accused it of being greedy for votes.
“The BJP’s game plan is in sync with its policy of trying to divide the people on the basis of religion, language, caste and creed. This will definitely be an issue for us. We shall never allow Bengal to be divided again,” Bose said.