Siliguri, Dec. 11: North Bengal is poised to witness a series of agitations in the next two weeks by outfits other than the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha that are demanding separate states or opposing the Gorkhaland movement.

The list includes Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party, Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association (GCPA), the two factions of Kamtapur People’s Party (KPP), Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Banchaon Committee and the GNLF.

“We met leaders of GCPA and KPP (Nikhil faction) today. Eleven workers from all three organisations (the third being Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party) will go on an indefinite hunger strike at Prantik Bazar on the Dinhata-Cooch Behar road from tomorrow, demanding the Greater Cooch Behar or the Kamtapur state,” said Asutosh Barma, the general secretary of Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party.

Dawa Pakhrin, the Kalimpong branch committee president of the GNLF, said his outfit will soon announce its programme. “As the Centre has agreed to carve Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh, we feel our demand for Gorkhaland is justified,” he said.

The KPP’s Atul faction, which is also demanding a separate state of Kamtapur covering the six districts of north Bengal and parts of Assam, had already announced that it would block all national highways that pass through the region on December 20, a day before the fourth round of tripartite talks on Morcha demands is scheduled in Darjeeling. “We will not budge from our stance and will sit on the roads, demanding immediate dialogues and conferment of separate statehood and recognition of the Kamtapur language,” Atul said.

Members of Bhasha Banchaon Committee, an anti-Gorkhaland forum, has also declared road blockades, but it will be limited to Siliguri from December 14 to 17 during the general strike in the hills.

“We have already called a state-wide strike on December 21 as we are against the government holding talks with the Morcha. After the Morcha strike is over, we will picket in front of godowns and stop vehicles carrying food items to the hills,” Mukunda Majumdar, president of the committee, said.

Representatives of Amra Bangalee, who have also called a north Bengal strike on December 21, said they will oppose any activity of the Morcha in the plains.

Leaders of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, which has often clashed with the Morcha in the Dooars, said they were keeping a close watch on the situation. “We will protest if any attempt is made to include the Dooars in the separate state that they are demanding,” said Rajesh Lakra, the secretary of the Dooars Terai committee of the Parishad.