Call for a Cooch Behar state to grow louder
HT, 29 Aug 2016, SILIGURI: The Greater Coochbehar People’s Association (GCPA), which was denied permission to observe Coochbehar merger day on Sunday, is again set to become a force to reckon with. This is because it is banking on the Centre to honour the promises made at the time of the merger of the then Cooch Behar kingdom with the Indian union and create a separate Cooch Behar state.
Cooch Behar kingdom was merged with India on August 28, 1949. The GCPA which first came to prominence in September 2005 — when three policemen, including an IPS officer and two of its supporters were killed in Cooch Behar — wants the Centre to honour the Cooch Behar merger agreements and create a C category state with the areas of the erstwhile Cooch Behar kingdom forming parts of the new state.
The GCPA, led by Anant Maharaj, a descendant of the Cooch Behar royal family, is the BJP’s ally and had supported the saffron party in the last Assembly elections. The state government sees the GCPA movement as a separatist movement while BJP thinks otherwise.
On Sunday, the GCPA was planning to observe Coochbehar merger day at Cooch Behar’s Chakchaka, but the district administration denied permission fearing a law and order problem.
Talking to HT, Anant Maharaj said, “We are hopeful the Centre will honour the Cooch Behar merger agreement and a C category state or a Union Territory will be formed.” However, the BJP which is in power at the Centre has refrained from making any comment on the demand for the creation of a separate state.
SS Ahluwalia, the BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Darjeeling and Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs and agriculture, sees no harm in the GCPA’s demand for the creation of a separate regiment in the Indian army. As per the merger agreement, “The government will endeavour to associate the name “Narayan” with the Cooch Behar state forces even after their absorption in the Indian Army.” The then Narayani Sena was merged with the Indian army.
The GCPA also wants the Centre to honour other promises made during the merger while it will continue to fight for separate state. Another demand of GCPA is that the management of temples and Debutter properties in the erstwhile kingdom should be with the trust headed by the descendants of the royal family. The merger agreements say the management of the temples and Debutter properties in the erstwhile Cooch Behar kingdom may be entrusted to a trust which shall consist of the then king, three nominees of the king and two nominees of the government.
The BJP has publicly supported the GCPA’s demand to recognise Rajbonshi or the Kamtapuri language in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. The state government has already formed a Rajbonshi academy.
Though the GCPA is yet to launch a mass movement, observers believe that it is gearing up for greater movement and would strike when the time comes.
Banshi Badan Barman who heads another faction of GCPA said, “The demand for creation of C category state or the Union Territory is all justified.”
The Banshi Badan Barman faction was in the news when its four-day rail blockade in New Cooch Behar was forcibly lifted by police on February 23.
Many GCPA supporters and policemen were injured in the incident in which police resorted to lathi-charge and opened tear gas shells.
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