Siliguri, May 18.TT: The Trinamul Congress will not hold any programme in the Darjeeling hills to celebrate the first year of the Mamata Banerjee government on May 20. The official reason is that the party does not have the organisational strength in the region.
But sources in Trinamul said the party did not want to take any chances in view of the underlying tension in the region because of the delay by the Justice Shyamal Sen Committee to submit its recommendations on the territory demand of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
Even in the Dooars, Trinamul will downplay the Darjeeling development, laying stress only on the restoration of peace in the hills.
“Given that we have hardly an organisational base in the hills, the party has decided not to carry out any campaign there. Instead, we will keep the celebration confined to the Siliguri sub-division in the Darjeeling district. This is just the first anniversary of our government. In the years to come, we will get more chances to highlight in the hills our government’s success,” said the Trinamul MLA from Siliguri, Rudranath Bhattacharya.
Chandan Bhowmik, the secretary-general of Jalpaiguri Trinamul, said the highlight of his party’s one-year rule was restoration of peace after the signing of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration accord. “We admit that the territory demand of the Morcha is a sensitive factor in the Dooars and people might want to know the stand of Trinamul. But our party will remain silent and won’t take any stand because it might show us in a biased light,” Bhowmik added.
Party insiders said the decisions on the May 20 celebrations had been taken so as not to antagonise any side. The Morcha and a section of adivasis led by John Barla want the Dooars and Terai to be brought under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, a demand that is opposed by several plains-based outfits, including the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad.
“In the hills, there is an underlying tension as the Morcha chief has threatened to scrap the GTA accord if elections to the new body are not held by July. On the other hand, in the Terai and Dooars, people are waiting to hear from the state government on the territory issue. The government has already got flak for announcing that it would go by the recommendations of the high power committee. But the submission of recommendations by the high power committee (led by retired judge Shyamal Sen) by June is uncertain,” a Trinamul leader said.
He said clear instructions have been given to party workers to abstain from any political activity or public statement that might trigger confusion, criticism or protests. “The district leaders are designing the campaigns carefully. In Darjeeling, they are avoiding the hills, while in the plains which also includes the Jalpaiguri district, they have been told to downplay the Darjeeling development. This has been done to avoid queries on the territory issue which might spark protests or controversies,” the leader added.
But sources in Trinamul said the party did not want to take any chances in view of the underlying tension in the region because of the delay by the Justice Shyamal Sen Committee to submit its recommendations on the territory demand of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
Even in the Dooars, Trinamul will downplay the Darjeeling development, laying stress only on the restoration of peace in the hills.
“Given that we have hardly an organisational base in the hills, the party has decided not to carry out any campaign there. Instead, we will keep the celebration confined to the Siliguri sub-division in the Darjeeling district. This is just the first anniversary of our government. In the years to come, we will get more chances to highlight in the hills our government’s success,” said the Trinamul MLA from Siliguri, Rudranath Bhattacharya.
Chandan Bhowmik, the secretary-general of Jalpaiguri Trinamul, said the highlight of his party’s one-year rule was restoration of peace after the signing of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration accord. “We admit that the territory demand of the Morcha is a sensitive factor in the Dooars and people might want to know the stand of Trinamul. But our party will remain silent and won’t take any stand because it might show us in a biased light,” Bhowmik added.
Party insiders said the decisions on the May 20 celebrations had been taken so as not to antagonise any side. The Morcha and a section of adivasis led by John Barla want the Dooars and Terai to be brought under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, a demand that is opposed by several plains-based outfits, including the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad.
“In the hills, there is an underlying tension as the Morcha chief has threatened to scrap the GTA accord if elections to the new body are not held by July. On the other hand, in the Terai and Dooars, people are waiting to hear from the state government on the territory issue. The government has already got flak for announcing that it would go by the recommendations of the high power committee. But the submission of recommendations by the high power committee (led by retired judge Shyamal Sen) by June is uncertain,” a Trinamul leader said.
He said clear instructions have been given to party workers to abstain from any political activity or public statement that might trigger confusion, criticism or protests. “The district leaders are designing the campaigns carefully. In Darjeeling, they are avoiding the hills, while in the plains which also includes the Jalpaiguri district, they have been told to downplay the Darjeeling development. This has been done to avoid queries on the territory issue which might spark protests or controversies,” the leader added.
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