Darjeeling, June 16,: Fishing in troubled waters, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chief and former chief minister of Jharkhand, Shibu Soren, accompanied by his son Hemant Soren who is the present deputy chief minister of Jharkhand arrived in Darjeeling, West Bengal on Friday. Following a meeting with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) led by president Bimal Gurung in Darjeeling, "Guruji" Shibu Soren declared support to the GJM and the formation of a “Gorkha-Adivasi Pradesh” carved out of West Bengal.
“We have pledged full political support to the GJM wherever required, whether in Kolkata or Delhi. We want a Gorkha Adivasi Pradesh for the welfare of the Adivasis and Gorkhas. We will launch joint movements in future” stated Shibu Soren, addressing the media in Darjeeling.
The 7 member JMM delegation had held a meeting with rebel Adivasi leaders at Mongpong in the foothills of Darjeeling. Following this meeting they had floated a JMM North Bengal Regional Committee with Gautam Toppo as the President and Raju Bara as the Secretary.
Though the JMM-GJM duo did not divulge their future strategy, it was clear that the JMM would encash on tribal sentiments of Terai and Dooars to achieve their political objectives. “We will address the problems of the Adivasis and Gorkhas. Much can be achieved through this united stand” added Soren.
“The Adivasis and the Gorkhas have been exploited. If the West Bengal Government continues turning a deaf ear, we will be compelled to provide backing for the separate state demand” remarked Hemlal Murmu, health minister of Jharkhand.
Political Observers feel that the sudden GJM-JMM bonhomie in the wake of the crucial meeting between the West Bengal chief minister and the GJM is to create pressure on the State Government to relent to the incorporation of more mouzas in the GTA. It is also a counter to the recent opening up of Hill units by the Trinamool Congress at Panighatta in the Kurseong sub division of the Darjeeling district.
“If the Government does not roll back the Justice Sen Committee recommendation we will retract to the Gorkhaland agitation. We are seeking help from the JMM for our separate state demand. They will create awareness and garner Adivasi support for Gorkhaland” added GJM Chief Bimal Gurung.
Hemant Soren, deputy chief minister, Jharkhand said, “We will wait for the outcome of the GJM’s meeting with the West Bengal Chief Minister slated for June 16. Following this we will make public our strategy and future political programmes for this region.”
When questioned whether this political maneuver (tie up with the GJM) would antagonize chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress (TMC,) Hemant Soren remarked “We have nothing to do with Mamata Banerjee or the TMC. This is part of our political strategy. We are here on the invitation of the JMM West Bengal committee.” The JMM delegation will be leaving Darjeeling on Saturday.
Reacting to this sudden JMM-GJM bonhomie, Birsa Tirkey, West Bengal State President of ABAVP stated “Whatever the JMM commits is their business and it will affect us in no way. We have a lot of respect for “Guruji” Shibu Soren who has struggled to carve out the tribal state of Jharkhand. However he is being misled in this case. Who did the JMM have a meeting with in Mongpong? It was not the ABAVP. John Barla and his associates have been expelled from the ABAVP and have nothing to do with the Parishad. Guruji should read the GTA Bill carefully before making any commitments.”
The TMC have decided to adopt a wait and watch strategy. “It is too early to comment. We will wait and watch” stated Gautam Deb, TMC leader and North Bengal Development Minister.
The Darjeeling Hills, foothills of Terai and the plains of Dooars at present are steeped in political uncertainty over the inclusion of additional mouzas in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA.) While outfits such as the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad (ABAVP- a pan Indian tribal outfit) are against the inclusion, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) backed by some dissident ABAVP leaders like John Barla have been demanding for the inclusion of 396 mouzas of Terai and Dooars in the GTA.
Terai and Dooars in the recent past have witnessed multiple flashpoints owing to this ongoing imbroglio. A 9 member committee led by retired Justice Shyamal Sen had been constituted by the State Government to look into the GJM demand.
The committee which included 4 GJM representatives recently tabled the recommendation of inclusion of 5 mouzas (3 from Terai region in the foothills of the Darjeeling district and 2 from Dooars in the plains of Jalpaiguri district.)
The GJM were quick to reject the report and threaten a resurrection of the Gorkhaland agitation if the Government implemented the recommendations. The GJM will be holding a meeting with chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Saturday over this issue. A 21 member GJM delegation led by General Secretary Roshan Giri departed from Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars for the Saturday meet. Bimal Gurung will not be attending the meet.
Amitava Banrjee, Hindustan Times
The meeting was held hours before a Morcha delegation was scheduled to leave for Calcutta this evening for talks with the Bengal government tomorrow on the Justice Shyamal Sen committee report.
The Morcha hopes that its association with the JMM will act as a bargaining point at the Calcutta meeting. The hill party has been under pressure since June 9 to revive its statehood agitation after it was revealed that the Justice Shyamal Sen committee had included only five mouzas in the Gorkha Territorial Administration area, against the Morcha’s demand of 396.
The Morcha had termed the recommendations “unjust, insulting and humiliating”. Morcha chief Bimal Gurung today said: “If the interest of the Gorkhas and the adivasis of Darjeeling, Terai and the Dooars are not looked after by the state government, the statehood agitation will have to be renewed. We have requested Shibu Soren and his party to support us in our demand. They will reach out to the adivasi people in the Dooars and Terai and will talk on the issue.”
Soren, who was the face of the Jharkhand statehood struggle, and his party leaders, including son Hemant, spoke to Gurung and his team for more than an hour in Darjeeling.
“We discussed the political developments in the state and the region. We have decided to extend all possible political support (to the party). We have the experience of being able to carve out a separate state of Jharkhand,” Soren said.
The Morcha has been facing opposition from some adivasi outfits in the Dooars and Terai on the issue of statehood. The Morcha does not hope much will come out of tomorrow’s meeting in Calcutta.
Hemant, the deputy chief minister of Jharkhand, who spoke after the meeting said he did not think the interest of the Gorkhas and adivasis would be addressed at the meeting at Writers’ Buildings. “I do not think that any decision in the interests of the Gorkhas and the adivasis would be taken in tomorrow’s meeting. We are now ready to fight together in the interest of the Gorkhas and adivasis and our state committee will co-ordinate (with the hill party) and announce its agitation in the days to come.,” Hemant said.
“We know that the fight for statehood is difficult but we have formed a new platform today. If we fight together we can get better results,” he said.
John Barla, an adivasi leader from Dooars who is supporting the Morcha’s demand for inclusion of plains in the GTA, said: “I have no hope of the meeting being fruitful.”
Three adivasi representatives will be part of the 21-member Morcha delegation to Calcutta. It will be led by party general secretary Roshan Giri.
Morcha sends Soren signal to tribals JMM chief meet before Calcutta trip
Darjeeling, June 15.TT: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders today met Shibu Soren, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief and well-known tribal leader, to boost the hill party’s appeal to those adivasis in the Dooars and Terai who are averse to the demand for statehood.The meeting was held hours before a Morcha delegation was scheduled to leave for Calcutta this evening for talks with the Bengal government tomorrow on the Justice Shyamal Sen committee report.
The Morcha hopes that its association with the JMM will act as a bargaining point at the Calcutta meeting. The hill party has been under pressure since June 9 to revive its statehood agitation after it was revealed that the Justice Shyamal Sen committee had included only five mouzas in the Gorkha Territorial Administration area, against the Morcha’s demand of 396.
The Morcha had termed the recommendations “unjust, insulting and humiliating”. Morcha chief Bimal Gurung today said: “If the interest of the Gorkhas and the adivasis of Darjeeling, Terai and the Dooars are not looked after by the state government, the statehood agitation will have to be renewed. We have requested Shibu Soren and his party to support us in our demand. They will reach out to the adivasi people in the Dooars and Terai and will talk on the issue.”
Soren, who was the face of the Jharkhand statehood struggle, and his party leaders, including son Hemant, spoke to Gurung and his team for more than an hour in Darjeeling.
“We discussed the political developments in the state and the region. We have decided to extend all possible political support (to the party). We have the experience of being able to carve out a separate state of Jharkhand,” Soren said.
The Morcha has been facing opposition from some adivasi outfits in the Dooars and Terai on the issue of statehood. The Morcha does not hope much will come out of tomorrow’s meeting in Calcutta.
Hemant, the deputy chief minister of Jharkhand, who spoke after the meeting said he did not think the interest of the Gorkhas and adivasis would be addressed at the meeting at Writers’ Buildings. “I do not think that any decision in the interests of the Gorkhas and the adivasis would be taken in tomorrow’s meeting. We are now ready to fight together in the interest of the Gorkhas and adivasis and our state committee will co-ordinate (with the hill party) and announce its agitation in the days to come.,” Hemant said.
“We know that the fight for statehood is difficult but we have formed a new platform today. If we fight together we can get better results,” he said.
John Barla, an adivasi leader from Dooars who is supporting the Morcha’s demand for inclusion of plains in the GTA, said: “I have no hope of the meeting being fruitful.”
Three adivasi representatives will be part of the 21-member Morcha delegation to Calcutta. It will be led by party general secretary Roshan Giri.
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