Morcha sticks to territory point Deal future linked to Adivasi stand

Darjeeling, TT, June 7: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha seemed upbeat that “a solution” had been reached on the hill imbroglio, but hours after signing an agreement, the party made it clear that the new administrative arrangement could not be made functional until the territory issue was settled.

The Morcha’s stand is a clear indication that the party needs something concrete to show its supporters before the deal is finalised in totality.

The party was happy with the fact that a joint-verification committee would be formed to look into the demand to bring Gorkha-dominated areas in the Siliguri subdivision, the Terai and the Dooars under the new authority.

“The Left Front government had straightaway rejected our demand for a joint-verification committee. Territory is an important issue for us. While we are happy that the panel will be formed, the party is very clear that the new administrative arrangement cannot be made functional till the territory issue is solved,” said Raju Pradhan, the assistant secretary of the Morcha.

Pradhan said Morcha MLAs from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong would be part of the board of administrators of the DGHC till the committee submitted its report in six months and the territory issue was solved.

Anil Verma, an IAS officer, is the present administrator of the council, while Mohan Gandhi, the district magistrate of Darjeeling, is the principal secretary.

While Mamata Banerjee has claimed that the hill problem had been solved, regional political compulsions and equations clearly show that many loose ends are yet to be tied and the territorial jurisdiction will not be a cakewalk.

“Territory is a very sensitive issue in the Dooars and Terai, especially because the Adivasis are united to fight tooth and nail any move that will end up in the transfer of even an inch of land in the plains to the hill body,” said an observer.

It is true that the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad lost the Assembly elections in the plains, but that was largely because of a split in the tribal votes. “In no way can the strength of the Adivasis be undermined or their stand (that an inch of land cannot be parted with) be taken lightly,” the observer added.

Another stumbling block to reaching an agreement on the territorial jurisdiction of the new body is the fact that there are hardly any contiguous areas which are dominated by the Nepali speaking people.

“It is true that the Gorkha population is in a majority in many places, especially in Kalchini block and in areas like Jaigoan. But linking it with one absolute Gorkha-dominated village would not be very easy,” said another observer.

Although the Morcha has kept the Gorkhaland issue out of the talks held in Calcutta today and yesterday, the party does not want to create an impression that the demand for the new state has been dropped for ever.

“The administrative set-up should neither be considered as an interim authority or an upgrade of the DGHC. It is a new administrative arrangement but a final settlement can only be reached when we get Gorkhaland,” said Binay Tamang, the assistant secretary (general affairs) of the Morcha.

Another challenge for the party will be to see whether it can get the tauzi department included in the new arrangement. The demand for the inclusion of the tauzi department was essentially to keep the tea garden populace in good humour.

The present DGHC does not have this department under its purview. Sources in the Morcha are, however, confident that the tauzi department will be included in the new body. Their confidence probably comes from their interaction with the Centre in the past