Mamata Banerjee Briefs Rajnath Singh On Darjeeling Situation, Bengal Flood

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday briefed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the prevailing situation in Darjeeling, where normal life has been hit due to an ongoing strike demanding a separate Gorkhaland state.

During the hour-long meeting at Mr Singh's residence in Delhi, Ms Banerjee also discussed the flood-like situation in West Bengal due to heavy rains.

The Chief Minister was in the capital to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Ram Nath Kovind as the 14th President.

During her meeting with Mr Singh late evening, Ms Banerjee apprised him of the security situation in the hill district of Darjeeling and the steps taken by her government to bring back normalcy in the region, an official privy to the meeting said.

The Home Minister assured Ms Banerjee of full cooperation and asked her to take all necessary steps to restore normalcy in Darjeeling, the official said.

Darjeeling has been witnessing indefinite strike called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), demanding the separate state of Gorkhaland, since June 12.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Union Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said there was no proposal to constitute a committee to look into the separate state demand of the Gorkhas and others agitating in
Darjeeling.

Ms Banerjee will leave for Kolkata today.