GREATER COOCHBEHAR

GCDP observes Black Day

COOCH BEHAR, Jan. 1: The Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCDP) observed the first day of the New Year as Black Day. Today, the GCDP supporters wore black badges, hoisted black flags and organised street corner gatherings in different blocks in the district.

 

GCDP president Mr Ashutosh Barma said that they observed the day (1 January) as Black Day because on this day in 1950 the erstwhile princely state of Cooch Behar that was merged with India was transformed into an ordinary district of West Bengal. The then chief minister of West Bengal, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy had chalked out the plan to include Cooch Behar as a mere district, he alleged. "We can never think of Cooch Behar a district only and so we stage protest on this day against that act. Last year too we observed the Black Day. Transforming of a State into a mere district was nothing but an act of treachery to the people of Cooch Behar" Mr Barma fumed.

 

The GCDP president declared today that they would organise rallies in the blocks of Cooch Behar district on 7 January. On that day they will send memorandums to the President, Prime Minister and Union Home Minister through the Block Development Officers (BDOs) reiterating their demand of formation of a separate state by proper implementation of the agreement by which the erstwhile princely state of Cooch Behar was merged with Indian Union. Proper implementation of the historic agreement reached between the then Maharaja of Cooch Behar and the representative of government of India may make Cooch Behar a C-category state under the framework of Indian Constitution, Mr Barma opined. []