Pension, home rent to elude DGHC staff Parishad for referendum

Siliguri, June 9,TT: The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad said today it was ready to face a referendum to know the opinion of the people with regard to the demand for the inclusion of “Gorkha-dominated” areas in the plains in the new administrative arrangement for the Darjeeling hills.

The Parishad had stated yesterday that it would oppose any kind of survey by the joint verification committee being formed by the state government to examine the feasibility of including Gorkha-dominated areas in the plains in the hill set-up.

“If the state government is keen on transferring areas in the Dooars and the Terai to the proposed set up to please the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, it should take the opinion not only from the tribal community or Nepali-speaking residents of the region, but from the entire population of the areas also. We are ready to face any such referendum at any time in this regard,” Birsa Tirkey, the Parishad’s state committee president, told The Telegraph over phone from Calcutta.

The tribal leader had labelled the Morcha’s territory demand “irrational,” and submitted a memorandum to the chief minister’s office and other departments, including the backward classes welfare department, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and state minister Sunil Tirkey yesterday to protest the formation of the committee.

According to the Parishad leader, a state committee meeting will be convened in the Dooars to chalk out its next plan of action.

“I am in touch with our leaders in the Dooars and the Terai and by next week, we will hold our state committee meeting in the Dooars. We will chalk out our next plan of action at that meeting,” said Tirkey.

He added that a decision would be taken at the meeting whether the Parishad should demand a referendum in the plains.

North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb said he would not comment on the issue without the leave of the chief minister.

“When a process has just been set in motion to resolve the hill issue, everybody should be patient and have a positive outlook. As the issue is being looked after directly by the chief minister, I should not comment on or intervene in the matter. But if I receive any instruction in this regard to hold a dialogue with the Parishad leaders, I will definitely do so,” Deb said.

The tribal outfit had said yesterday that it would resist any attempt to transfer the areas in the plains to the hill set-up.