BJP’s newly-appointed state president Samik Bhattacharya on Monday said that his party would launch a united struggle against the politics of communal division and identity-based segregation in north Bengal.
Addressing the media in Siliguri, Mr Bhattacharya said: “The BJP is committed to launching a ‘collective struggle’ in partnership with the people of north Bengal. The region has been subjected to decades of neglect, and the time has come for a decisive political response.”
Marking the beginning of his official visit to north Bengal since taking over the state leadership, Mr Bhattacharya arrived at Bagdogra Airport and headed straight to Madhab Bhawan, the north Bengal headquarters of the RSS — where he held discussions with the leadership before proceeding to Alipurduar to attend a series of political events.
According to party sources, Mr Bhattacharya will also visit Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri before concluding his north Bengal tour with a key meeting with party leaders in Siliguri on 16 July.
Criticising the ruling Trinamul Congress, Mr Bhattacharya said: “The anger, neglect, and suffering of north Bengal over the past 35 years remain unchanged. Even though Mamata Banerjee came to power and set up the Uttarkanya secretariat, it has failed to address the core issues of the region. The budgetary allocation for the north Bengal development department and the Uttarbanga Unnayan Parishad has been grossly insufficient, and the spending has been equally poor — while 41 per cent of the allocated funds were utilised in one year, only 22 per cent to 24 per cent were spent in other fiscal years.”
As the TMC prepares for its annual 21 July rally in Kolkata, the BJP has announced a counter programme in the form of a protest march titled ‘Uttarkanya Cholo’ in Siliguri on the same day. However, the police have not yet granted permission for the event.
Speaking on the upcoming agitation, Mr Bhattacharya said: “North Bengal continues to be deprived of its rightful development. What little has been done in South Bengal is mostly superficial. This imbalance is unacceptable.”
He added that the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) would lead the march to Uttarkanya, with Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and BJYM state president Dr Indranil Khan at the forefront.
“We expect thousands from across north Bengal to join the march and voice their frustrations, their pain, and their long-standing sense of deprivation,” Mr Bhattacharya said.