Central team may visit a few districts of West Bengal: Chidambaram

December 01, 2009 03:26 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 07:04 am IST - New Delhi

Officials from the Central team comprising (from left) S.K. Mishra and D.R.S. Chowdhury holding discussions with West Bengal's Home Secretary Ardhendu Chowdhury and Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarty in Kolkata on Tuesday, Dec.1, 2009. Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

Officials from the Central team comprising (from left) S.K. Mishra and D.R.S. Chowdhury holding discussions with West Bengal's Home Secretary Ardhendu Chowdhury and Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarty in Kolkata on Tuesday, Dec.1, 2009. Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday said the Central team sent to West Bengal may visit a few violence-affected districts of the State.

The team was holding discussions in Kolkata with the State Chief Secretary and other senior officials to assess the law and order situation in the State, he said. “The Chief Secretary has indicated that they can visit a few districts. They are drawing their programme in consultation with the State government. The visit is intended to help maintain law and order and put an end to inter-party clashes,” the Minister told journalists.

“As per Constitution”

Mr. Chidambaram reiterated that the team's visit was “strictly in accordance with the Constitution.” Members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were satisfied with his reply on Monday when he asserted that the move to send the team was “entirely non-confrontational,” he said. On the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's intensified campaign for a separate State, he said talks with the organisation them were scheduled for December 21.

Asked if he was concerned about the ongoing stir in Darjeeling, he said: “Until a problem is resolved, it is always a matter of concern.” Mr. Chidambaram said the Centre had appointed a retired senior Army officer, Vijay Madan, as its interlocutor for talks on the Gorkhaland issue.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.