Mamata writes to Modi, slams the unconsulted appointment of Gorkha issues interlocutor in North Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee writes a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, decrying the Centre's appointment of retired IPS officer Panka Kumar Singh as an interlocutor for Gorkha issues in the hills. Shocked and stunned, Banerjee lambasted the decision as a blatant breach of cooperative federalism, made without even a courtesy consultation to her government. This fiery two-page letter, marked with her signature flourish and a festive "Happy Diwali" note, arrives amid simmering tensions in the Terai, Dooars, and Darjeeling regions, where the Gorkha community has long balanced demands for autonomy with the hard-won harmony forged since the 2011 Tripartite Agreement. That pact, inked in the presence of then-Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Banerjee herself, birthed the GTA to drive socio-economic, educational, cultural, and linguistic growth in the hills while safeguarding ethnic identities and promoting unity among diverse communities. Now, Banerjee warns, this unilateral thrust risks unraveling the tranquility her administration has nurtured since 2011, potentially igniting unrest in a region still healing from past agitations.

The letter's sting lies in Centre's overreach, with Banerjee insisting that any discussion on Gorkha matters—be it governance tweaks or community aspirations—must loop in the state for true federal respect. She wrote, her words echoing the constitutional ethos of Union-State synergy. She vividly recalls the GTA's creation as a beacon of progress: a body designed not just for development but to foster peaceful co-existence, a hallmark of Bengal's hill districts where Gorkhas rub shoulders with other ethnic groups. Under her watch, Banerjee highlights, concerted efforts have quelled old fires, transforming potential flashpoints into zones of continuous collaboration. Yet, the appointment of retired IPS Singh tasked with holding discussions on sensitive hill issues blindsided Kolkata's Nabanna secretariat, prompting Banerjee to demand its immediate revocation and a rethink rooted in mutual dialogue. This isn't mere protocol nitpicking; it's a clarion call to preserve the hard-earned peace and tranquility that locals cherish, from Terai, Dooars to Hills..

As Diwali lamps flicker across Bengal, this epistolary showdown underscores the perennial tug-of-war between Delhi and state capitals, especially in ethnically charged enclaves like the Darjeeling hills. Banerjee's plea isn't isolated—it's a thread in her tapestry of critiques against perceived Centre encroachments, from flood aid delays to electoral roll disputes, all framed as threats to regional harmony. For the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and hill residents, caught in this crossfire, the stakes are sky-high. CM Mamata Banerjee commits to her "positive efforts" for sustained calm, but her letter serves as a velvet-gloved gauntlet, urging Modi to honor cooperative federalism. In a nation stitched from diverse fabrics, such flare-ups remind us that true unity blooms not from top-down edicts, but from consultations that echo the voices of the valleys below.