Bengal thinkers urge Modi to end Darjeeling unrest

Division of Bengal will be suicidal, says letter

July 13, 2017 09:48 pm | Updated 09:48 pm IST - Kolkata

A group of intellectuals from West Bengal has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to restore normalcy in Darjeeling hills and opposing the demand for the creation of separate State of Gorkhaland.

“Contrary to the allegation of the hill people, the people of Bengal have always stood by them in their efforts to enrich their culture, language and the ethos with proper honour,” the letter states.

The signatories include Sahitya Akademi award winner Sirshendu Mukhopadhay, actor Rudra Prasad Sengupta, painters Gangesh Halui and Wasim Kapoor, Sanskrit scholar Nrishinga Prasad Bhaduri among other writers, actors and film makers.

“We may also point out that further division of Bengal, as proposed… will be suicidal given the present status of Indo-Nepal relation and the possibility of the Siliguri corridor of India being turned into a geopolitical underbelly,” the letter warns.

The communication which has been sent to Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee states that public life has been thrown out of gear due to ongoing agitation in the hills.

“ Unfortunately, their demand for further division of Bengal is getting generously indiscrete support from some political quarters operating from outside,” the letter said.

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.