KOLKATA: Polls in Darjeeling will be held after the setting up of the new hill council, Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA), chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday. But the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) insisted that elections would be impossible without the inclusion of Terai and the Dooars in GTA.
Meeting the media for the first time every since President Pratibha Patil gave her assent to the GTA Bill on Wednesday, the chief minister, while announcing the surrender of Maoist leader Suchitra Mahato, said: "What else would you ask for? The GTA Bill has been cleared and elections will be held as per the agreement. In another three months, you would have nothing more to ask for. We've fulfilled most of our commitments."
The presidential assent to the Bill clears the decks for the formation of the GTA, but the onus is now on Mamata for its implementation.
Officials indicated on Friday that there are still some major obstacles to the formation of the GTA, especially with the state government and the GJM differing on the process of elections to the new body
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told TOI on Friday: "We will seek an appointment with the CM soon. We'll tell her that she should take steps to resolve the imbroglio. Polls can't be held without the inclusion of Terai and Dooars into GTA."
The GJM leader added, "Time and again we have made our stand very clear that this was the situation and the government must ensure that GTA is formed along with the Terai and the Dooars in the plains are added to the new council's jurisdiction. We shall request the chief minister that till she manages to sort things out, let the GTA be a nominated body or an interim set-up."
Giri was reminded of GJM being a party to holding the elections when the new government just took over and Mamata Banerjee had the GJM signing the first document on the pact. His reply: "Then the situation was different."
On Wednesday, after the GTA Bill received the presidential assent, an official at Writers' Buildings had said, "The Centre has done its bit. The ball is now in the chief minister's court."
Giri wanted inclusion of 400 moujas from the Terai and Dooars in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts. According to the agreement, the autonomous GTA would be a 45-member body in comparison to the 28 members of the current Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).
The chief minister had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month to find out why the GTA Bill wasn't getting presidential assent.
Meeting the media for the first time every since President Pratibha Patil gave her assent to the GTA Bill on Wednesday, the chief minister, while announcing the surrender of Maoist leader Suchitra Mahato, said: "What else would you ask for? The GTA Bill has been cleared and elections will be held as per the agreement. In another three months, you would have nothing more to ask for. We've fulfilled most of our commitments."
The presidential assent to the Bill clears the decks for the formation of the GTA, but the onus is now on Mamata for its implementation.
Officials indicated on Friday that there are still some major obstacles to the formation of the GTA, especially with the state government and the GJM differing on the process of elections to the new body
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told TOI on Friday: "We will seek an appointment with the CM soon. We'll tell her that she should take steps to resolve the imbroglio. Polls can't be held without the inclusion of Terai and Dooars into GTA."
The GJM leader added, "Time and again we have made our stand very clear that this was the situation and the government must ensure that GTA is formed along with the Terai and the Dooars in the plains are added to the new council's jurisdiction. We shall request the chief minister that till she manages to sort things out, let the GTA be a nominated body or an interim set-up."
Giri was reminded of GJM being a party to holding the elections when the new government just took over and Mamata Banerjee had the GJM signing the first document on the pact. His reply: "Then the situation was different."
On Wednesday, after the GTA Bill received the presidential assent, an official at Writers' Buildings had said, "The Centre has done its bit. The ball is now in the chief minister's court."
Giri wanted inclusion of 400 moujas from the Terai and Dooars in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts. According to the agreement, the autonomous GTA would be a 45-member body in comparison to the 28 members of the current Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).
The chief minister had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month to find out why the GTA Bill wasn't getting presidential assent.
TOI
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