Greater Cooch Behar People’s Party happy

PRASHANT ACHARYA, EOIC, Siliguri, 3 Sep 2013: At a time when a delegation of the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee is trying to garner support from the centre for the statehood issue, members of the Greater Cooch Behar People’s Party were seen celebrating in the national capital following a tripartite meeting in connection with their demand for statehood, which they claimed was fruitful. 

GCPP president Shivaji Sarkar told over telephone from New Delhi that the centre has given positive signals for their demand and has asked the party to submit proper historical documents in the next meeting scheduled for the first week of October. 

He also said the centre has agreed to telecast news and other cultural programmes related to Cooch Behar on Doordarshan TV. 

“During the meeting, it was decided to include the Rajbonshi language in the 8th schedule of the Constitution and the formation of a Narayani Regiment in the Army,” informed Sarkar. 

He also said the first step will be the conversion from Schedule Caste to Tribe status before the formation of a Cooch Behar state and the process is expected to start soon and complete within a year. 

The meeting between the GCPP and the centre was reportedly held at the Ashoka Hotel in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Present at the meeting were deputy home secretary Ajoy Kanuja, joint home secretary (Northeast Region) Sambhu Singh, Assam home and political department secretary Mukti Gogoi, commerce secretary (Assam) Jiten Bargaouri, GCPP president Shivaji Sarkar, All Koch Rajbonshi Sudents’ Union president Biswajit Roy and secretary Pradip Roy and GCPP women’s wing leaders Puravi Roy and Binita Roy.

(source & courtesy: http://echoofindia.com/siliguri-greater-cooch-behar-people-s-party-happy-37477)