Amid defections, BJP struggling for existence in North Bengal?

MANAS R BANNERJEE, SNS, SILIGURI, 2O JUNE 21: When a section of BJP leaders, under the leadership of two Members of Parliament, constituted a committee yesterday, comprising all elected MLAs from Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts, the district BJP president of Alipurduar, Ganga Prasad Sharma, has made up his mind to join the Trinamul Congress.

After Senior leader Mukul Roy ditched the saffron brigade to return to the Trinamul from the BJP, the ruling party now plans to regain lost ground in North Bengal, following the results of the Lok Sabha and the recently-concluded Assembly elections.

Political sources said Mukul Roy may play a key role in "bringing back" party leaders in northern North Bengal to the TMC fold. Sources also said that after the "upsetting" Assembly poll results in West Bengal, the BJP state leadership has failed to protect party workers from alleged attacks of ruling party activists in the district level. "As a result, several party leaders and workers are demoralised. Mr Sharma was upset over the party over the nomination of candidates for the state polls in Alipurduar district," one such source said.

"Given the present situation, the BJP has politically started struggling for existence and is, as such, raising several issues related to alleged deprivation, and finally demanding a separate state of North Bengal or Union Territory," the source added.

Significantly, two MPs, John Barla from Alipurduar and Nishit Pramanik from Cooch Behar, held a meeting with all elected MP MLAs and have adopted a resolution over issues related to North Bengal, it is learnt. Mr Pramanik was also elected as an MLA the last elections in the state.

According MLA from Natabari, Mihir Goswami, issues related to "deprivation" will be raised in the state Assembly shortly.

Talking to the media, Mr Pramanik raised the issue of AIIMS for North Bengal and how both the Congress and the Trinamul Congress "deprived" the North Bengal people of the same. While the MP-led central government has sanctioned an AIIMS like institute for North Bengal, its fate is uncertain as the TMC is in power in the state, he said.

Mr Pramanik also pointed that the late Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, the then MP from Raiganj, took initiatives to set up such a health facility in North Dinajpur. but the TMC led state government decided to shift the location of the hospital to Kalyani in South Bengal.

On the other hand, Alipurduar MP Mr Barla, has raised the issue of a separate state or UT status for North Bengal. 

After landing in Siliguri today, another BJP MP, Raju Bista, from Darjeeling, justified the "valid masons" behind the demand for a separate state and highlighted the "deprivation of North Bengal over 45 years since the Left regime to the TMC tenure."

Mr Bista today also claimed that the state earns taxes from trade from North Bengal, but in return it does not pay attention to develop the basic infrastructure here.

"Considering North Bengal people's demands and sentiments, our party leadership will take a proper decision judiciously," the Darjeeling MP said.

"Setting up of Uttarkanya (Branch Secretariat of the state government) or Doors Kanya (Alipurduar district administration' building) is not at all an index of development," said Mr Barla.