West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee Chief, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, said: “The handling of the situation by the state government was improper and immature. The state government could not read the situation properly. The question of the unity of the state is involved and the Chief Minister should have taken all the political parties into confidence.”

Interacting with mediapersons at Kolkata press Club, Dasmunsi said that the state government’s directive for the tourists to stay away from the hills was untimely and improper. “No tourist has suffered any major problem there so far. Tourism is the bread and butter of the people of the hills and this call by the state government will affect their livelihood,” he said.

He said that the state government made a mistake by kowtowing before the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

“The government should have ensured a safe passage to the then Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) administrator Subhas Ghising for the latter’s return to Darjeeling. But it did not do anything,” said Dasmunsi.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said he is still in dark about demands made by the GJM.

In an interview to a private TV channel that was telecast on Sunday, Bhattacharjee said: “What are your (the GJM’s) main demands? You have not yet submitted any papers or memorandum to us. You are saying everything to the media or in public rallies. But no government can go by that.”

Darjeeling remained peaceful on Sunday and the government offices are likely to be reopened tomorrow.