Adivasi Vikash Parishad (AVP) divided on inclusion in Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA)

Kolkata, Oct 31 : A section of Adivasi Vikas Parishad (AVP) leadership Monday opposed the proposal of including the tribal-dominated Terai and Dooars in West Bengal's Darjeeling hills under the proposed Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA).

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has also expressed opposition to the move.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Sunday forged a pact with a section of AVP leadership, and demanded GTA's name be changed to Gorkhaland and Adivasi Territorial Administration (GATA) after bringing the tribal areas of Terai and Dooars under it.

But the entire AVP was not happy with the decision.

"Yesterday (Sunday), John Barla without any discussion with the AVP leadership has declared that AVP wants formation of GATA. The AVP from the very beginning is opposed to inclusion of Terai and Dooars under GTA. We are still opposed to it. We don't want Gorkhas to rule the Adivasis," senior AVP leader Biswa Tirkey told IANS.

Barla Sunday announced that AVP has no problem in the inclusion of Terai (plains) and Dooars (Himalayan foothills) if the name of GTA be change to GATA.

Tirkey felt there was something "fishy" in Barla's announcement.

"I don't know why he announced such thing against the interest of the Adivasis and the party. I think there is something fishy behind this whole thing," he said.

On July 18, a tripartite agreement was signed between the GJM and the state and central governments for setting up a new autonomous, elected GTA, a hill council armed with more powers than its predecessor Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) formed in the late 1980s. The AVP had opposed the agreement.

An expert committee was set up under the agreement to survey the Gorkha-dominated parts of Siliguri, Terai (plains of Darjeeling) and Dooars (foothills of the eastern Himalayas) and examine if areas from these places could be brought under the GTA. The committee is expected to give its report in six months.

The AVP from the very beginning had opposed the formation of the area demarcation committee and had vowed not to share a piece of tribal dominated areas with Gorkhas.

The CPI-M also felt that renaming of GTA to GATA will only aggravate the problem.

"We have earlier said that GTA will create problem and now this GATA will also create problem as a large section of Adivasis don't support GATA. This is a ploy to create a rift between Adivasis and create problem in the hills. It is going towards a dangerous juncture," Leader of Opposition Surya Kanta Mishra said.

--IANS