BJP’s West Bengal unit president and Union Minister of State for Education, Sukant Majumdar, has created a stir on Wednesday by talking about the division of Bengal. Majumdar says that he has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded to include the northern parts of the state in the North-East region. However, the demand for separation of North Bengal is not for today. This demand was going on for a long time. Last year itself, BJP had expressed its intentions by sending Anant Maharaj, who was demanding to make North Bengal a separate state, to the Rajya Sabha. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, BJP has won six out of 8 Lok Sabha seats in North Bengal. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 7 out of 8 seats in North Bengal.
Obviously the ruling TMC in the state will not like this news. TMC has called BJP a separatist and accused it of trying to divide West Bengal for its political gains. Majumdar says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take a decision on the proposal in due time. If North Bengal is included in the North East, it will get the benefits of the Central Government schemes and there will be faster development. Majumdar said that I do not think that the state government will have any objection to this proposal. BJP has become a major political force in North Bengal. Obviously, if the Center decides to create a separate state on this proposal, then Bengal can be both beneficial and harmful for the BJP.
1- Is Anant Maharaj’s pressure working?
Last year, BJP had sent Rajbansi leader Anant Maharaj to Rajya Sabha from West Bengal. Despite this, this time BJP lost one seat in North Bengal region. Nishith Pramanik, a powerful BJP leader from Cooch-Bihar, who held the post of Minister of State for Home in the Union Cabinet, lost his seat in the Lok Sabha elections. Just last month, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached Anant Maharaj’s house to meet him. After this, Anant Maharaj was continuously speaking against BJP. It seemed that he might leave BJP and join TMC. But it did not happen. Anant Maharaj, along with being a Rajya Sabha MP of BJP, is also the leader of Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association. He has been expressing regret that the promise made to him regarding Cooch Behar was not fulfilled.
Last month, Anant Maharaj had said that Cooch Behar state was in the constitution. This was a C category state. How did this C category state disappear? This is what we wanted to know. Anant Maharaj claimed that he wanted a separate state but at that time he was assured that a union territory would be better.
2-What will be the benefit to BJP?
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party had won seven out of 8 Lok Sabha seats in North Bengal. Even in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party was successful in winning a total of 6 seats here. In this way it is clearly visible that North Bengal has become the stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party. If this state is separate then BJP will form the government here. In this way, if not the whole of Bengal, then at least half of Bengal will be given to BJP to rule. Along with this, the Rar Bengal movement of South Bengal will also get a boost. The tribals of South Bengal have been demanding that a separate state be created for them. Obviously BJP will be a ray of hope for them. BJP MP Soumitra Khan had demanded to make Rar Bengal a separate state, but later BJP and Sumitra Khan herself withdrew from this demand. But now the way the demand for a separate North Bengal state is being made, the demand for Raar Bengal will intensify in South Bengal also.
3-But BJP may suffer big loss
In fact, dividing Bengal means that BJP has realized that the dream of conquering Bengal is no longer there. Leaders take the decision to divide any country or state only when they see that control has become difficult. This is why Congress took the decision to divide India. At least the dream of ruling the divided region will be realized. A few days ago, there was a discussion about dividing Uttar Pradesh also.
Secondly, the Bengali society has already seen partition, the pain of which is felt till today. Similarly, by dissolving the Bengal in 1905, the British had incurred such pain which later became the reason for them leaving the country. It was the Banga Bhang movement that infused the spirit of nationalism in the country. After which Congress became a national level party.
If the Bengali community takes the feeling of dividing the state to heart, then understand that BJP will be wiped out from North Bengal also. There are many such examples in the country that after the formation of a new state, the people of the state have given leave to those who played a major role in its creation. Done.