Will resolve Gorkha issue in constitutionalmanner without dividing Bengal: Shah

PTI, April 14, 2026, Gangarampur/ Manikchak : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the BJP, if voted to power in West Bengal, will resolve the Gorkha issue in the Darjeeling hills in a constitutional manner without dividing the state.

Addressing a poll rally in Gangarampur in Dakshin Dinajpur district, Shah referred to the BJP's election manifesto to offer a host of north Bengal-centric development projects.

"I want to tell my Gorkha brothers of Darjeeling that, once in power, the BJP will not only develop an eco-adventure hub in the hills, but also resolve the Gorkha issue in a constitutional manner without dividing the state," Shah said.

The century-old demand of the Nepali-speaking Indians in the Darjeeling hills for a separate state of Gorkhaland has repeatedly taken violent turn.

Shah also promised that the supply of potatoes from West Bengal to other states will be opened up to ensure that the farmers get remunerative prices for their produce.

A financial crisis has hit potato farmers in West Bengal due to a record bumper harvest, causing market prices to plummet to around Rs 250 to Rs 300 per 50 kg bag, well below the production cost of Rs 400. This distress has resulted in heavy losses, debt, and reported farmer suicides in districts like Hooghly and Paschim Medinipur.

The West Bengal government's restrictions on transporting potatoes to other states — leading to a local supply glut and a decreasing demand in traditional markets like Assam and Bihar — came under criticism of the opposition parties, especially the BJP.

Shah referred to President Droupadi Murmu's expression of disappointment with the state administration for protocol violations and last-minute venue changes during her visit in March to state that the TMC brass has "insulted" the nation's constitutional head consistently.

"I say this on the occasion of B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary: the people of West Bengal will never forgive the disrespect Mamata Banerjee has shown towards our Adivasi President," Shah said, drawing apparent parallels between the pioneering leader's Dalit roots and the President's representation of the country's tribal communities.

As part of the BJP's proposed development package for north Bengal districts, Shah also referred to the party's manifesto promising that an AIIMS, a state-of-the-art 600-bed cancer hospital, separate IIT and IIM campuses, and a dedicated sports university would be constructed in the region.

He said, honouring a long-term demand of the people, the Rajbanshi language would be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

"Mamata Banerjee has done great injustice to the people of north Bengal. Malda mangoes are loved by people all the way up to Gujarat, but there is no cold storage facility for mango growers. The BJP will build cold storages in every mango-growing pocket," he said in Malda's Gazole.