New Mamata, BJP battlelines in North Bengal as TMC fires statehood charge to gain ground

In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a section of the BJP leaders had spoken in favour of the demand for a separate North Bengal state in a bid to woo the Rajbanshi community and Gorkhas in the region, many of whom have been pressing for it for a long time. In the ensuing polls, the BJP swept the region, winning seven of the its eight parliamentary seats. Of the state’s total 42 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP won 18 as compared to the TMC’s 22.

The TMC swept the 2021 Assembly polls, bagging 211 of the total 294 seats as against the BJP’s 77. The BJP still had an upper hand in North Bengal, winning 29 of its 54 seats while the TMC could get just 24 seats in the region.

The TMC has been making attempts to expand its base in North Bengal, which has now intensified in the lead-up to the state Panchayat polls.

There has been a buzz that the Centre may hold peace talks with the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) — a proscribed militant outfit that was formed in 1995 by a section of Rajbanshis to demand a separate Kamtapur state comprising several districts from North Bengal and Assam.

Although the state BJP has denied it, such report have upset Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her dispensation, who have cried foul for Bengal being allegedly kept out of loop on the issue. The TMC has been fiercely opposed to any division of the state.

Seeking to consolidate its hold in North Bengal, the BJP is aiming to win at least five Zila Parishads in the region in the upcoming rural polls. On its part, the TMC has been going all out to wrest the region from the BJP.

Last month, when Mamata visited North Bengal, she highlighted the TMC’s development agenda for the region, which has always been backward and underdeveloped. “They (BJP) always try to divide people, and in a planned manner they attempt to brainwash people to build a wrong narrative that North Bengal has been neglected. It is a completely false interpretation, which they do with political intentions. Time and again, we have proved our sincerity and commitment to this region and will continue to do so to counter these divisive forces,” the CM told a gathering. “Earlier, people would come here to relish local fish or to spend their vacation in forests. But I come here at least 20 to 25 times a year. So far as development is concerned, North Bengal has undergone a major change and we will keep on working for the region,” she said, while elaborating on the TMC government’s development initiatives for Gorkhas, Rajbanshis and Adivasis.

A senior TMC leader said, “We have already entered Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) in North Bengal’s hills. Anit Thapa’s Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha ruling GTA is our ally. So, we are hopeful that for the first time we would win the Darjeeling Lok Sabha elections.”

He also said, “From the North Bengal’s plains, three BJP MLAs joined the TMC, even as we also won Dinhata by-election. People of this region are eager to see development and we are also campaigning on this issue. So, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, too, we would perform better than expectations.”

Another TMC section however sounds cautious in its assessment. A party veteran said: “Notwithstanding over leverage with GTA, we should not forget that various regional rivals such as Bimal Gurung, Binay Tamang and Humro Party chief Ajoy Edwards have now joined hands and are again raking up the demand for the Gorkahaland state. Such a situation will again help BJP.”

The BJP’s state general secretary Dipak Burman, who is also an MLA from North Bengal, said, “Our three MLAs went to TMC, but people’s support is with us. If they are able to cast their votes in Panchayat polls and next year’s Lok Sabha elections, BJP will sweep every part of North Bengal.”

However, the BJP camp is clearly worried over the emerging situation in its North Bengal turf in the wake of the Kanjilal becoming the party’s third MLA from the region to switch to the TMC. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari rushed to the region last Friday and, while addressing a rally at Alipurduar then, he alleged that Kanjilal defected for “a car and some money”. “You (Kanjilal) cannot keep that money. Even if you put money under the ground, we will dig it out,” Adhikari said. “Bharatiya Janata Party never called for the state’s division. If someone says something about this, it is his personal opinion. But North Bengal is deprived, we will say it again and again.”