6 months ago
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee connected Monday (November 17, 2025) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reiterating her petition to the Union authorities to revoke the assignment of a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) serviceman arsenic an interlocutor for holding discussions connected issues related to the Gorkhas of the Darjeeling hills.
This is the 2nd missive by Ms. Banerjee to Mr. Modi connected the issue. Earlier, connected October 18, 2025 the Chief Minister had written a akin missive to the Prime Minister, expressing her reservations implicit the assignment of the interlocutor.
“The contiguous determination by the Central authorities is not lone unconstitutional but it besides appears to beryllium a politically motivated effort to disturb the bid and stableness of the region. The Government of West Bengal categorically rejects and powerfully objects to this unconstitutional, arbitrary, and politically coloured interference successful the interior affairs of the State,” the CM wrote connected Monday.
Citing the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Act, 2011, the authorities down the mounting up of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, which governs the areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, the Chief Minister said the statute “expressly defines the authorities arsenic the Government of the State of West Bengal”, and therefore, “the Central authorities has nary jurisdictional competence to name immoderate typical oregon interlocutor successful matters pertaining to these regions”.
Ms. Banerjee besides pointed retired that the missive she wrote connected October 18 was acknowledged by the Prime Minister’s Office and forwarded to the Union Home Minister.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had connected October 16, 2025 appointed retired IPS serviceman Pankaj Kumar Singh arsenic the interlocutor to clasp talks with representatives of governmental parties successful the Darjeeling hills to code their governmental demands.
The assignment of Mr. Singh, who has headed the Border Security Force and served arsenic the Deputy National Securtiy Advisor for 2 years, was welcomed by governmental parties successful the Darjeeling hills, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but the Chief Minister said that the assignment had been made without immoderate consultation with the West Bengal government.
“Such acts not lone undermine the Constitutional national operation but besides erode the tone of unity and communal respect that defines our antiauthoritarian polity. I erstwhile again look guardant to your benignant involution and petition you to revoke this unconstitutional and arbitrary order,” the Chief Minister wrote successful her latest communication, seeking the PM’s intervention.
One of the large demands of a conception of radical of the Darjeeling hills has been the instauration of a abstracted State of Gorkhaland, and this contented has been the fulcrum of authorities successful the Darjeeling Hills since the 1980s. The portion has witnessed a bid of unit and shutdowns implicit the issue, and the past specified disruption was successful 2017, erstwhile the Darjeeling hills witnessed unit which claimed 11 lives and the hills were unopen down for 100 days.
