A number of prominent Trinamul leaders and hundreds of party workers will congregate here from four districts of north Bengal on Monday for a rally against the demand for statehood.

In recent months, this is the first centralised rally where leaders from Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts will raise slogans against any further division of Bengal.

In recent times, many political parties and outfits have demanded a state comprising north Bengal districts, backed by a number of BJP legislators from this region.

“We will organise a rally tomorrow (Monday) in protest of the conspiracy to divide Bengal. Issues like cattle smuggling and other crimes on the borders where the BSF is posted will also be raised,” said Papiya Ghosh, the Darjeeling (plains) district Trinamul president.

According to her, north Bengal development minister Udayan Guha, Siliguri mayorGautam Deb and state president of the Trinamul youthwing Sayani Ghosh, amongothers, will join the rally.

Trinamul leaders told reporters here on Sunday that they would also protest against the BJP’s “politics of slandering” Trinamul leaders through “baseless charges”.

“Some BJP leaders are constantly slapping false allegations and passing derogatory comments on our leaders.This has to stop. In north Bengal, the BJP is trying to play the polarisation card again. We will not let it happen. People have shunned them in the civic polls and will do it again in the rural polls,” said a senior Trinamul functionary.

Political observers pointed out that the districts from where leaders and workers have been called to the Trinamul rally are BJP strongholds. In Darjeeling and Alipurduar, Trinamul couldn’t win one Assembly seat. The parties and organisations demanding statehood also have roots in these districts.