Mamata has already made her intentions clear that she wants to take on the problems of North Bengal head on by announcing on the very first day of taking over her decision to set up a mini secretariat for the area. At the meeting of the state cabinet on Wednesday, the green signal was given to look for a place in North Bengal to set up a chief minister's secretariat. . It was also decided that the budget of the North Bengal Development Board would be enhanced more than threefold, to Rs 200 crore from the present Rs 60 crore, so that NBDB could take up worthwhile projects. "Only Rs 60 crore for six districts is nothing," the chief minister said.
Mamata indicated that her government would wait for a discussion with GJM and also see how the tripartite negotiations on the hill council in Darjeeling proceeded before deciding if the NBDB would have a role to play in the development of the Hills too. Developmental activities in the Hills have been under the jurisdiction of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, and tripartite negotiations are on for granting more powers to DGHC. "Tripartite negotiations are on. Three GJM MLAs and also a leader of GJM are coming to Kolkata tomorrow. They will meet me also," she said.
It may be mentioned that four newly elected GJM legislators, from Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Kalchini, will arrive in the city on Thursday to take oath as MLAs in the assembly. GJM general secretary Roshan Giri would also come with them, along with three other GJM central committee members.
GJM has already queered the pitch, however, by announcing beforehand that their MLAs would fight for a separate Gorkhaland state within the state assembly. In fact, the GJM candidates were given nomination of the party on condition that they would fight for the Gorkhaland cause. But Mamata has ruled out a division of Bengal and wants to find a solution to the Darjeeling problem within this parameter.
There are indications however that GJM could wait for the period of three months within which Mamata has promised to find a solution before launching a fresh agitation. Observers say a solution may be found by giving more autonomy to the hill council, if necessary with a constitutional guarantee, together with more development for the hills. For this, Mamata is depending on the Centre, which is taking the leading role in the tripartite negotiations with GJM. There is an opinion within the Darjeeling District Congress that a solution can be found by including in the proposed council areas in Dooars with a Gorkha majority. Some more mouzas in the Dooars could be added to the council for this.
The previous Left Front government had also tried to find a solution to the Darjeeling crisis by giving more powers to the hill council, but the Sixth Schedule solution offered by it, a brainchild of Gorkha National Liberation Front leader Subash Ghisingh, had been unacceptable to GJM.
--TOI
Post a Comment
We love to hear from you! What's on your mind?