Rally to protest Gorkhaland demand

TT, 25 Aug 2019, Siliguri: Bangla Pokkho, a Calcutta-based social organisation, has raised its voice against the demand for separate state of Gorkhaland.

On Saturday, the organisation took out a rally in Siliguri to oppose any plan to divide the state further.

"There are demands for creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland. We would like to make it clear that we are against it and any other demand that can further divide our state," Garga Chatterjee, the founder of the organisation, said.

The assertion comes at a time when regional parties in the hills have started mounting pressure on the Centre. Also, some political parties and organisations based in north Bengal have revived the demand for separate Kamtapur state and the Cooch Behar state.

"We have already appealed to all 42 MPs in our state to raise their voice against such demands. We will also send a similar appeal to all the MLAs and would urge them to work together on this issue," said Chatterjee.

The association has also raised the demand for reservation of jobs in government and private sectors and education.

"We want 90 per cent of total seats in educational institutions to be reserved for residents of Bengal. A similar reservation should be there for employment, both in government and private sectors," he added.