Parts of Kashmir, Arunachal not in India: West Bengal government school maps spark outrage

BJP alleges that distorted maps of India were distributed by the members of TMC teachers cell.

Kolkata: In what is likely to snowball into a major controversy, parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh were allegedly shown as parts of Pakistan and China respectively in maps distributed by the members of the ruling TMC during school examination in West Bengal.

The BJP has strongly criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party for allegedly distributing distorted maps to school students. 

"You can see on the map given to students where PoK, Aksai Chin, Arunachal Pradesh have gone out from the Indian boundaries. This is done by the TMC led teachers' cell," BJP state general secretary Raju Banerjee alleged.

Banerjee further stated that the maps carried watermark of 'WBBSC', which is the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education.

"Our question to the present government is whether they agree to what Pakistan and China claim about these Indian territories," Banerjee said.

Attacking the TMC government further, Raju Banerjee said there is no democracy in West Bengal while "only Trinamool system functions in the state."

"It seems as if the whole TMC government supports the terrorists who come here. We are seeing this issue very seriously," he said.

Banerjee also said that they will write to the Ministry of Human Resource Development to take action on the matter.

"All this happening in the state is not in the interest of the nation. We will take the legal step and will also protest. BJP will not spare this matter," he added.

Echoing Banerjee, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha criticised TMC stating that the latter "wants to break India itself."

He further demanded clarification from state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"These people have no values for all those lives which have been sacrificed because of the protest against Pakistan and China visa vis Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh respectively. I am sure there is some conspiracy or crime behind this. This issue should be investigated and also the CM should release a statement," Sinha added.

The general secretary alleged that maps distributed during the Class tenth board paper of Geography, Madhyamik Test examination 2017 showed portions of Kashmir as part of Pakistan and portion of Arunachal Pradesh as part of China.

(With ANI inputs)