Monday, July 18, 2011

Left parties kept in dark about Darjeeling agreement : Strong Opposition Against inclusion of Terai and Dooars in new set-up

The Left parties in West Bengal have been kept in dark about the content of the tripartite agreement paving the way for the formation of Goorkhaland Territorial Administration. The agreement is going to be signed at Pintel village near Sukna in Darjeeling on July 18.

Surya Kanta Mishra, Leader of the Opposition, is surprised to know that he has been invited to be present at the time of signing of the agreement at a time when he is unaware of the content of the agreement. The agreement GTA will be signed between the State and Central governments and the GorkhaMuktiMorcha. Expressing concern over signing of the July 18 agreement Mishra said the CPI(M) and other Left Front parties were from the beginning opposed to the demand both of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) for a separate State in Darjeeling. “What we wanted is more autonomous status of the existing Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) and its real democratic functioning,” he said.

Mishra said aiming at this talks started between the Central and State governments and the GJM during the Left Front regime. The talks yielded towards positive result and it was admitted by the Centre. The then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya also convened an all-party meeting although the Trinamool Congress did not participate in the meeting. At the meeting a draft memorandum of agreement was also adopted.

But the present Trinamool government, said Leader of the Opposition Mishra, without discussing the issue either in the Assembly or at any all-party meeting had initiated bipartite talks ignoring the consistence of the earlier tripartite meetings. “The content of the agreement going to be signed on July 18 between the State government and the GJM was neither made known to the people nor to us. We have to know from media sources that some additional Mouzas in Teraqi and Dooars are going to brought under the new administrative set up called Gorkhaland Territorial Administration against which we have strong opposition. Besides, we want debate and discussion about the name of the proposed administrative set up in the State Assembly,” Mishra said.

Meanwhile, a total bandh was observed in Siliguri in Darjeeling district on July 15 against the adoption of the name Gorkhaland in the agreement and proposed move to include a few “mouzas” of Terai and Dooars in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. The bandh was also observed in many areas in Jalpaiguri district. Left Front on behalf of the Darjeeling District Committee appealed to the people not to participate in the bandh as because such a bandh would encourage a section of disruptive elements. The bandh was called by AdivasiBikashParishad and Bangla and Bangla Vasa Bachao Committee.