Gorkhaland Territorial Administration(GTA): CPM, CPI & FB skip territory meet

SILIGURI, 20 FEB : The Darjeeling district CPI-M, CPI and Forward Bloc have decided not to attend in the hearing on the GTA jurisdiction expansion, convened by the Shymal Sen Committee, on 24 February. But by way of a discordant note, another constituent of the Left Front, RSP, will attend the hearing.

The Darjeeling district Left Front convener and  senior CP-M leader, Mr Asok Bhattacharya, said there was no point in attending the combined meeting with the high-power committee having been reduced to a farce. “The constitution of the committee is heavily biased in favour of one of the parties involved ~ the GJMM. We attended the previous hearings to put forth our collective stance vis-à-vis the emotive issue. But this time we would stay away,” he said.

Asked about the RSP’s decision to participate, the CPI-M leader said the party would attend the meeting because of its inability to turn up at the previous hearing due to the ongoing district conference. “This by no means indicates any fissure within the district Left Front. Besides, we are against dictating terms to others. All are free to formulate strategies in accordance with their respective assessment of developing situations,” Mr Bhattacharya said.

He further said they had taken strong objection to the authoritative wording of the letter the land committee had sent to them asking them to attend the combined hearing. “The language used in the letter ‘directing’ us to attend the hearing is against the parliamentary canons. The chairman cannot direct us. He might appeal to us,” he said.

Darjeeling district RSP secretariat member Tapas Goswami said his party would attend the hearing to place his party’s submission before the committee. “Since we could not attend the previous hearing because of our preoccupation with the district conference, we have decided to attend the hearing on 24 February. Besides, according to my knowledge, the Jalpaiguri district CPI-M and other constituents of the Left Front will also attend the hearing,” he said.

SNS

CPM to skip territory meet

Siliguri, Feb. 20.TT: The CPM has decided not to attend the all-party meeting convened by the high-powered committee on territory on February 24 as the panel consists of four representatives of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Former minister and CPM leader Asok Bhattacharya said today that the party had deposed before the committee headed by Justice (retd) Shyamal Sen earlier and it found no relevance in attending the all-party meeting in Calcutta.

“There is no point in attending the all-party meeting because the panel itself is biased as it has four representatives of a specific political party whose stand on the issue (inclusion of certain mouzas of the plains in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration) is well known. We have full faith in the chairman and his decisions. If we take part in the meeting, there will be a hot exchange of words because of the presence of these four members (Morcha representatives) on the committee,” Bhattacharya told journalists here.

The decision to skip the meeting was taken by the Darjeeling district Left Front here today. Although the CPI and the Forward Bloc will also keep away from the meeting, the RSP is likely to send its representatives.

“RSP leaders will try to call on the chairman on February 24 as they were not part of a Left Front delegation that met him on February 9. It is entirely up to them to decide whether to participate in the all-party meeting or not,” said the CPM leader.

Bhattacharya demanded that the state government obtain the President’s assent to the GTA and form the body immediately.

“The chief minister and her cabinet colleagues from north Bengal underestimated the gravity of the territory issue and signed the agreement hurriedly. Now that the opposition to the inclusion of the mouzas in the GTA has become more vocal, Mamata Banerjee is trying to evade her responsibilities and blaming the Centre for the delay in the creation of the body. We want the GTA to be formed immediately and elections in the hills to choose representatives to run the body,” he said.

The former minister said the CPM state conference which had concluded in Calcutta yesterday had decided to raise the demand for linguistic minority status for the Gorkhas across the country.