Siliguri, Nov. 1: The CPM today alleged that the deal between the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad on territory had been brokered by minister Gautam Deb with the blessings of Mamata Banerjee.
Former minister and CPM leader Asok Bhattacharya asked the chief minister to come clean about her government’s stand on the inclusion of the Dooars and the Terai in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.
“The chief minister had time and again claimed that her government had resolved the Darjeeling hill issue with the GTA agreement. She should take responsibility for the new situation arising from the Parishad’s consent to the transfer of the Terai and the Dooars to the GTA. The government should say loud and clear if its wants the two regions to be brought under the ambit of the GTA,” said Bhattacharya.
The Parishad’s units in the Dooars and the Terai had announced on Sunday that they were backing the inclusion of the regions in the GTA. Earlier, the Parishad had been opposing tooth and nail the Morcha’s claim to 199 mouzas in the plains and there were frequent skirmishes between the supporters of both the outfits.
The CPM leader said the silence maintained by Mamata and north Bengal development minister Deb raised suspicion that both were privy to the parleys between the Parishad and the Morcha.
Asok Bhattacharya :
“Mamata’s silence and her cabinet colleagues’ refusal to speak on the deal make us suspect the entire development has taken place with her knowledge. We strongly feel that Mamata Banerjee had prior information on the Parishad-Morcha tie-up and Gautam Deb played the role of interlocutor in the parleys between the two sides. In fact, Deb had met leaders of the Parishad and the Morcha many times,” said Bhattacharya.
“(Morcha president) Bimal Gurung’s confidence during the joint news conference with Parishad leaders on Sunday that they would achieve the goal (inclusion of the Terai and the Dooars in the GTA) also strengthens our suspicions,” he added.
Deb refused comment yesterday when The Telegraph asked him about the deal between the hill and the tribal outfits.
Bhattacharya said he feared that the tie-up between the Morcha and the Parishad would embolden other outfits seeking statehood to up their ante.
“The deal will have ramification for the entire north Bengal and an uncertainty looms over the formation of the GTA now.”
Deb was reticent about the deal today too. “We have not received any formal proposal and it is not possible for me to make comments based on media reports. Nonetheless, the government wants to make it very clear that it is sincere in maintaining the integrity of north Bengal,” he said.
Told about Bhattacharya’s charges, Deb said: “He is making desperate attempts to grab media attention. I would prefer to ignore such statements.”
Courtsey : The Telegraph
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