It all started from a small internal meeting of BJP leaders in North Bengal. In the meeting, Alipurduar MP John Barla sought a separate union territory comprising north Bengal districts in the Junglemahal region of the state and its neighbourhood areas.
Barla has demanded a separate North Bengal state or Union Territory in a statement, “North Bengal has always been deprived and now our men are insecure due to Rohingyas coming in and crossing the border. Nobody is stopping this. I’m only conveying this demand of the people.
Barla’s statement again brought back ideas of separatism in North Bengal. However, the statement was not endorsed by the party’s state leadership, which clearly said that it was not in favour of Bengal’s division.
After Barla, separatist leader and Kamtapuri Liberation Organisation (KLO) Chairman Jiban Singha also released a video in which he is seen agreeing to the demand for a separate state.