Barla faction vents anger against Trinamul | Mainstream ABAVP keeps rural poll options open

SILIGURI, 22 MAY: Reacting to the sudden change of tack by the ruling Trinamul Congress ahead of the rural polls dumping them for the mainstream faction, the president of the splinter ABAVP faction, Mr John Barla said the ruling party has taken revenge against his outfit for refusing doggedly to sacrifice its distinct identity. Notably, the Chief Minister Miss Mamata Banerjee, met a 10-member delegation from the mainstream faction in Kolkata yesterday.

“The ruling party seemingly cosying up to the mainstream smacks of vendetta against us as we kept sticking to our guns as far as the separate identity of the outfit is concerned. They put relentless pressure on us to make us merge into the ruling party. But we are not to be cowed down by such unprincipled flip-flop. We are confident that we would do well in the upcoming rural body election and that we would fight in alliance with the GJMM,” Mr Barla said.  

Taking a swipe at the chief minister, he said her assurance to set up a Tribal Development Council (TAC) for the Dooars-Terai region was nothing but a bait to goad them into a political understanding with them. “The Trinamul Congress sought to lure me into their folds by dangling the post of the Vice Chairman of the proposed Terai-Dooars Development Authority in the aftermath of the GJMM-backed MLA from Kalchini, Wilson Chamrapari having joined the ruling party. They assured Mr Champramari that the state would recommend his name for the post of the chairman of the proposed TDDA. But, till now, there is no notice for setting up the same. There is no gazette notification either,” Mr Barla said.

“The ABAVP had proposed the chief minister in 2011 for setting up an Adivasi Territorial Administration on the lines of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. But she refused to heed,” he pointed out.

“We have been demanding implementation of the Tribal Advisory Council proposal. If the state implements the proposal we would welcome the initiative. But we suspect it is nothing but a bait to get bloc votes from the Adivasi community for the upcoming rural polls in the Dooars,” Mr Barla added.

He said: “The state has implemented almost none of the demands that we raised when Miss Banerjee interacted with us during her last Dooars trip. The state government has, on the other hand, wound up the office of the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) that kept catering to the region. No initiative has been taken either to revive the existing LAMPS (Large Sized Agricultural Multi-purpose Cooperatives Societies) for the betterment of the Adivasi people of the region,” he added. Another senior leader of the faction, however, said that they are worried with the ruling party having warmed up to the mainstream faction leaving them in the lurch. “The ruling party for political expediency seems to have forgotten the fact that we threw our weight behind her when she addressed a public meeting at Nagrakata on 28 December. The ABAVP Tirkey faction stayed away then,” he added.

Mainstream ABAVP keeps rural poll options open  

SILIGURI, 22 MAY: The mainstream Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) seems to keep the political parties on tenterhooks vis-à-vis the upcoming rural polls as it has chosen to keep its cards close to its chest. This is despite the fact that the Chief Minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee has met a 10-member delegation from the outfit in Kolkata yesterday in an obvious move to bring them on board ahead of the crucial rural polls.

The secretary of the tribal outfit’s Dooars and Terai regional committee, Mr Rajesh Lakra, today, said they have not yet decided with whom to tie up. “However, it is certain that we would not support any party that has an overt or covert tie-up with the Gorkhaland protagonists,” he said at a Press meet in Siliguri.

“We have chosen to leave the final decision on the electoral tie-up to the discretion of the common people of the region. Whatever they would decide we would abide by,” he said.  

When asked whether there is any possibility of tie-up with the Left Front as the latter’s credentials as an anti-Gorkhaland force are even stronger than the ruling party, he evaded answer, passing the buck to the common people again. "Things would be finalised after the people make up their mind,” he commented.

“However, the Trinamul Congress has proved its anti-Gorkhaland credentials beyond any shadow of doubt with the chief minister having taken a rough and tough stance against the champions of the separate statehood. All options are open,” he added.

Asked whether the Adivasi votes from the region would be vertically split with two ABAVP factions crossing swords, Mr Lakra said there would be no split. “The community is most likely to vote en bloc for a single party,” he said.

statesman news service