Calcutta, June 9: Bengal hill affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya today called the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s movement for Gorkhaland “fascist” and once again spoke of the possibility of a “foreign hand” behind it.

“Their demands are out of touch with reality. Their movement is undemocratic and unjustified. Their moves are all about fascist muscle-flexing. The Morcha is toeing the lines of the Ulfa in Assam,” Bhattacharya told reporters at Writers’ Buildings in Calcutta this afternoon.

“There could be external forces backing their movement. One cannot rule out the possibility of a foreign hand endorsing their cause,” the Siliguri MLA added.

Referring to the Morcha’s call for an indefinite shutdown in the hills, Bhattacharya said: “It is very unfortunate. The state government will do everything possible to help the tourists reach home safely.”

The Morcha has already asked all tourists in the hills to leave as soon as possible.

“They want to hold meetings and rallies in Naxalbari and other places which are not even part of their movement. They just want to export their brand of disruptive politics from the hills to other parts of north Bengal,” Bhattacharya added.

The Morcha, however, wants Siliguri, the Terai and the Dooars to be included in the new state it is demanding.

The minister insisted that the Morcha needed to understand that their demand for a separate state would not be met.

“They have been told time and again by the chief minister himself that a separate state is out of the question. They need to settle down and agree to discuss and negotiate,” Bhattacharya said. “That way, we might grant them regional autonomy and consider certain other demands.”

The minister said the Morcha “must stop their politics of disruption, chaos and anarchy”. The hills will not be cut off from the rest of Bengal because of the Morcha’s “violent ways”, he added.

“They must understand that we have full respect for their language and culture. We want the region to grow and prosper. There are a lot of development endeavours on the anvil that will be implemented once peace is restored in the hills. We want to do everything possible to help the region live up to its potential,” the minister said.