Kolkata, Nov 8 (IANS) A fresh ideological rift has emerged between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its hill ally, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), following a West Bengal government directive making the singing of the State Anthem — Banglar Mati, Banglar Jol — mandatory during morning assemblies in all state-run and state-aided schools.

BGPM, which controls the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) — the autonomous body overseeing civic affairs in Darjeeling, Kurseong, and Kalimpong — has strongly objected to the order on two key grounds.

First, the party contends that the directive amounts to a forced imposition of Bengali on students in the hills, where most school children speak either Gorkhali or Hindi. BGPM leaders argue that the order undermines the region’s

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