Once again ruling out bifurcation of West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asked the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to withdraw the indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills and facilitate election of a new chief executive of the GTA.
Banerjee said the state government had made available "everything" to them (GJM) to run the affairs in the hills through the GTA including "even the name Gorkhaland".
"Under the GTA, barring one or two departments we have given them everything including land, health, education, 100-day work scheme and so on. Even the name Gorkhaland and the money. So what more do they want? I fail to understand. I have said before, a separate state cannot be created," she told reporters.
Rubbishing the GJM charge of not receiving money, she said, "Money has been given to them to run the affairs of the GTA and the money was returning unspent." Accusing the GJM of stalling development activity in Darjeeling in the name of bandh and using force to enforce it, she said, "Even cars carrying patients to the hospitals are being set afire."
"Those who are violating the court order in the name of the bandh, let them follow the court order and our appeal. Withdraw the bandh and help return normalcy," she said. The chief minister said she would go to Kalimpong on September 3 on an invitation by the Lepchas, the original inhabitants of the hills.
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