Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh had said the MPs' statements have been misinterpreted. (Representational)
Trinamool Congress Youth wing president from Alipurduar Prasenjit Kar on Tuesday lodged a complaint against BJP MPs John Barla and Soumitra Khan for their alleged statement demanding separate states for North Bengal and Jangalmahal.
Incidentally, BJP MP from Alipurduar John Barla has demanded that North Bengal be made a separate state or union territory. Further, BJP MP from Bishnupur Soumitra Khan raised a similar demand of separate statehood for Jangalmahal.
In a party meeting in Cooch Behar, Mr Barla said, "I want to see North Bengal as a separate state. I will appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi in this regard. People want peace. Everyone is being attacked. Where will people go?"
BJP MP Soumitra Khan demanded that the Rarh region comprising Burdwan, Asansol, Bankura, Purulia, Bishnupur, Birbhum, Jhargarm, Purba and Paschim Medinipur and parts of Hooghly to be made as a separate state.
"West Bengal Chief Minister calls Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah bohiragoto (outsider). Why will not people of Jangalmahal call her the same? Junglemahal and Rarh region have barely witnessed any development over the years. That is why we have raised this demand (of separate statehood)," BJP MP from Bishnupur Saumitra Khan told ANI.
Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh had said the statements of the party MPs have been misinterpreted. He said no one has demanded the partition of Bengal but they raised concerns about the ignorance and deprivation witnessed by the people of Jangalmahal and North Bengal regions since independence. Being representatives of these regions, their statements reciprocate the anger of the people there.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)