As BJP MLA Backs Call For Carving UT From Parts Of Bengal, Bihar & Jharkhand, TMC Hits Back

Murshidabad MLA Gouri Sankar Ghosh asserted that the proposed Union Territory was intended to safeguard Malda, Murshidabad, and the state from anti-India activities.

File photo of Murshidabad BJP MLA Gouri Sankar Ghosh.

Source : X/@GouriSankarBjp

A BJP MLA has echoed Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey's call for creating a new Union Territory from parts of West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand. On Friday, West Bengal’s Murshidabad MLA Gouri Sankar Ghosh claimed he had previously advocated for this proposal.

Ghosh revealed that on August 2, 2022, he sent a letter to the President, Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, and West Bengal Governor demanding the new Union Territory. In the letter, he raised concerns about illegal border crossings from Bangladesh into West Bengal’s Malda and Murshidabad districts, which he suggested could endanger regional and national security.

"I had informed the Centre about Bangladeshi people illegally entering the country through Malda and Murshidabad districts, which could threaten regional and national security," Ghosh said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

He asserted that the proposed Union Territory was intended to safeguard Malda, Murshidabad, and the state from anti-India activities and criticised the local administration for its lack of action.

With the issue being raised by a party MP in the Lok Sabha, Ghosh expressed hope that the Home Ministry would take the matter seriously. "Now I find an MP of my party is raising the issue in Lok Sabha. I hope the Union Home Ministry will seriously look into it now," he added, as quoted by PTI.

TMC's Kunal Ghosh Accuses BJP Of Creating Religious Divisions

In response, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh accused the BJP of attempting to create religious divisions and fragment West Bengal after their electoral losses, urging strong resistance against these efforts.

Dubey proposed on Thursday that parts of Jharkhand and West Bengal be designated as a Union Territory to tackle the influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. He also demanded the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the region. "I demand that Malda, Murshidabad, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar, and the Santhal Parganas be declared as a Union Territory and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be implemented there," he said.

Dubey claimed that Bangladeshi immigrants were settling in the area, marrying tribal women, and influencing local elections. He also claimed that the migration was increasing the Muslim population in the Santhal Parganas and displacing Hindu residents from villages in Jharkhand.