Trinamul rally for peace

TT, Siliguri, Aug. 5: The Trinamul Congress took out a rally in Siliguri this evening to condemn the calls for separate states and spread the message of peace and harmony.

The rally started from Baghajatin Park around 5.30pm and ended near the Darjeeling district office of Trinamul on Hill Cart Road.

“We want to pass a clear message to the state government and the separatist forces that we are united and stand together in the plains. We are against any breach of peace and amity and condemn attempts by separatists to stir up law and order problems in the region,” said north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb, who was on the front of the march.

Asked about the moves by the outfits like the KPP to renew their movements for a separate Kamtapur state, the minister said: “Secret meetings for plans to create tension in north Bengal will not be allowed. Whoever with demands for separate states should sit across the table with the Bengal government,” said Deb.

The minister’s insistence on talks with the state government has come on the heels of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung’s assertion that his party would only interact with the Centre.

Asked about Gurung’s statement, Deb sounded enraged. “Who is Bimal Gurung? I wouldn’t comment on what he has said,” said Deb.

The 2,000-odd Trinamul workers who hit the streets shouted slogans like “Bangla Bhag Manchi Na, Manbo Na (We will not accept any partition of Bengal)”.

In the morning, supporters of Amra Bangali, which is known for its anti-Gorkhaland stance, marched through Siliguri before submitting a memorandum, addressed to the President, to the subdivisional office. “We want the immediate arrest of Bimal Gurung, Roshan Giri and other Morcha leaders. The Centre and state should also ban the Morcha,” said Basudeb Saha, the Darjeeling district secretary of Amra Bangali.