Deb to visit hill in a day or two

TT, Siliguri, Aug. 11: North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb has said he will visit the Darjeeling hills in a day or two as the state is bothered about the suffering of the people because of the strike “imposed on them”.

“In a day or two, I will visit the hills, particularly the rural pockets and hamlets in the remote areas. The state cannot evade its responsibility and watch people suffer in the hills because of the strike imposed on them. We would take stock of the situation and urge them to join hands and raise their voices against the whims of a few individuals, who for no reason, have left thousands in a pitiable state,” he said.

“These leaders (of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha) have no shortage of food grain but it is the common people who are suffering because of the strike,” said the Trinamul minister who cancelled his Calcutta trip tomorrow.

Deb said Morcha leaders were threatening the hill people. “They are issuing threats, plastering posters in the houses of our members and supporters across the hills. Such activities would not be tolerated. If the strike is not withdrawn, our party will come down to the streets in the hills and we will lead the common people to defy the strike and restore peace and normalcy in all the three hill subdivisions.”

He added that no activity that can cause tension would be allowed in the plains.

Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Banchao Committee, an anti-Morcha outfir, has called a 24-hour general strike in the plains on August 19 and the KPP leaders are planning to submit a memorandum to the divisional commissioner of Jalpaiguri on August 21 and resume their movement for a separate Kamtapur state.

“We have been acting with utmost restraint and not a single person has been hit even with a stick by the police. But the state would not tolerate any act that can cause tension in the plains. Anybody speaking about a separate state and partition of Bengal will face administrative action.”

Deb today asked Morcha president Bimal Gurung to get his “facts correct” and stop claiming that Deb won the Assembly polls because of the hill party.

On several occasions, Gurung has said it is their support that helped Deb, the MLA of Dabgram-Fulbari, win in 2011.

“I have learnt about Bimal Gurung’s claim that it is because of the votes of the Morcha supporters that I won. I want him to get his facts correct as I had won with a margin of 11,236 votes. In the panchayat polls the Morcha had fielded candidates in my constituency and secured only 833 votes in total,” Deb said.

“Even if, for the sake of argument, I deduct the 833 votes, there is still a margin of over 10,500 votes. Bimal Gurung should take note of the facts and stop making baseless claims.”