Darjeeling MP Raju Singh Bisht called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday and raised issues of development in the hill region.
Bisht proposed the city of Siliguri to be developed as gateway to Northeast India and also of Southeast Asia. Bisht said that Siliguri holds the potential to become a major centre of international trade and tourism. The MP later told journalists that he has drawn the PM’s attention to the fact that the people of the hills have been facing “neglect” for decades. He also sought for a solution to the “unstable socio-political situation” of the region, as only then developmental activities could be made, he said.
Bisht said he discussed with the PM steps for improving the conditions of the tea and cinchona industries and forest in the region. He placed the demand for granting tribal status to 11 indigenous communities based on their culture, language, lifestyle and traditions.
While the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal has pumped in funds for the development of Darjeeling, but the ruling party has failed to be an integral part of the local culture and sentiments. In the Lok Sabha polls of 2019, Raju Singh Bisht won the seat from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
