Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Friday said the party didn’t favour the demand for a separate “North Bengal” state or the Union Territory status for the region.

A section of BJP leaders in north Bengal, including some MPs, had put forward the demand in order to solve issues like infiltration from Bangladesh and alleged attacks on party workers by Trinamul Congress members.

“It is not our party’s stand. We have never said anything of that sort. However, someone might have a personal opinion and can voice it. Questions can even be raised in Parliament. But it is not the BJP’s demand,” Ghosh said in Murshidabad.

Ghosh’s clarification, observers said, is an attempt to alleviate the anger among people. “The state BJP leadership cannot afford to antagonise the people of Bengal, most of whom are against this demand. That is why, it seems, the BJP state president tried to control the damage today,” said an observer.

Partha Pratim Roy, the Cooch Behar district Trinamul president, along with party veteran and MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, on Friday came down heavily on the BJP.

“On one hand, we are hearing BJP leaders’ demand. On the other hand, we have suddenly found that Jeevan Singha (the self-styled chief of Kamtapur Liberation Organisation) released a video speaking on similar lines while wielding firearms. These are not mere coincidences but we suspect that there is some link. BJP wants to foment tension in north Bengal and is inciting divisive forces,” said Partha.

He also reiterated that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had clearly asserted that she would not allow any further partition of Bengal and the party would foil any such attempt.

“Some people are saying that north Bengal is backward to justify their demand. Let us make it clear that there had been an unprecedented development in the region in the past 10 years,” added Partha.

Later in the day, Trinamul presidents of a number of districts like Darjeeling (plains) and Malda, spoke on the same issue and accused the BJP of playing “divisive politics”. They also spoke about development works carried out by the Mamata Banerjee government since 2011.

A number of senior leaders like Partha Chatterjee also criticised the separate “north Bengal” demand.

Earlier, on Thursday, Trinamul supporters had demonstrated in Alipurduar and had burnt an effigy of local BJP MP John Barla, one of the principal proponents of the demand.