The success of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in smoothening the ruffled feelings of the Gorkha population in Darjeeling Hills seemed to remain elusive in the contiguous plains even as her dialogue with the Adivasi Vikas Parishad a tribal pressure group of Dooars and Terai in North Bengal remained inconclusive.
The leaders of the Dooars and Terai Committee, an umbrella group of various Adivasi groups told the media on Wednesday after their “partly successful” meeting with the Chief Minister, that she had turned down their appeal not to include areas of Dooars and Terai into the Gorkhaland Territorial Authority. The Adivasi leadership iterated they “would prevent inclusion of areas from the plains in the GTA at any cost.”
“We spoke to the Chief Minister and put a 12-point demand. We told her that we will not allow the incorporation of Dooars-Terai in the GTA. The Chief Minister and the GJM will be responsible for the unwanted and unpleasant consequence in the plains if they persisted with their idea,” Adivasi leader John Burla said adding the Chief Minister however was sympathetic towards our other demands and promised to give packages for development in the area.”
The main contention is over about 225 mouzas in the Dooars-Terai region. The Adivasi leadership also demanded a separate Adivasi Territorial Administration along the lines of GTA or formation of a Dooars-Terai autonomous council or for that matter including both Darjeeling and Dooars in Sixth Schedule all of which were promptly turned down by the Chief Minister, sources said adding she however promised to look into the other demands that included releasing Adivasi and Bodo prisoners from jails.
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