Gorkhaland Territorial Administration: Cong targets govt on GTA

Siliguri, TT.April 20: The Congress today took a dig at the chief minister for not consulting the party on the formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and wanted the government to hold consistent dialogues with the adivasis to address their grievances.

PCC president Pradip Bhattacharya said the same importance Mamata Banerjee had attached to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha should be given to the tribal people’s concern over the demand to include the Terai and Dooars in the GTA.

“Given the current state of affairs in the plains, we would like to suggest to the chief minister to hold frequent dialogues with the adivasis over the territorial jurisdiction of the GTA. The chief minister should attach priority to their grievances like the way she had taken the initiative to talk to the Morcha and sign the GTA accord,” Bhattacharya told a public meeting organised by the Darjeeling district Congress at Bagdogra this afternoon.

“The government has never invited the Congress or its elected representatives from the Terai and Dooars before or after signing the GTA accord. We would have surely come up with specific suggestions to resolve the issue, based on the feedback provided by our MLAs in the plains. We are also a part of the government and quite aware of our responsibilities.”

Of the eight MLAs in the Terai and Dooars, four are from the Congress.

Bhattacharya also said the high-power committee headed by retired Justice Shyamal Sen should talk to all MPs and MLAs in the plains before deciding on the territorial jurisdiction of the GTA.

“The committee should talk to the MPS and MLAs of all political parties in the Dooars and Terai before making its recommendations on the extra mouzas to be brought under the GTA. The suggestions from the people’s representatives will help the panel come up with an amicable solution,” he said.

Raiganj MP Deepa Das Munshi also spoke at the meeting attended by around 2,500 people. “We are now scared of the word ‘paribartan’. We had seen bad days during the 34 years of Left regime in Bengal. However, certain incidents in recent times frighten us and it looks that there will be the return of such days and they will be worse than what we had seen during the Left rule,” said the MP.