Siliguri, March 5: The CPM today trained guns on Mamata Banerjee and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders, alleging that both were moving ahead with a “hidden agenda” to form the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration through nomination and not elections.
Former minister and CPM leader Asok Bhattacharya, who held a news conference at Anil Biswas Bhawan here this afternoon, said: “Realising the sentiments of the hill populace, we have been seeking early formation of the GTA through elections. But for some reason or the other, the Morcha leaders are not interested in polls unless the territory issue is resolved. The chief minister, on the other hand, is visiting the hills time and again but not taking any initiative to form the GTA through polls but passing the buck to the Centre.”
Mamata had told a gathering in Darjeeling last week that the Centre was to be blamed for the delay in forming the GTA.
“Such assertions and attitude of Morcha leaders and Mamata Banerjee has left us with serious apprehensions that both sides have a common hidden agenda of forming the GTA through nominations or running it by a nominated and not elected body. This is the reason why the Morcha is insisting on a decision on territories while the chief minister is silent,” Asok said.
CPM leaders warned that there would be widespread resentment if the GTA was delayed.
“Right now, the situation in the hills seems to be similar to that of 2005, when the Centre shelved the Sixth Schedule, which delayed the election process. It was this undercurrent of resentment that led to mushrooming of the Gorkhaland movement in the past four-five years. Now that the GTA has been delayed, we are suspecting a similar upsurge of resentment which might culminate in another movement,” said Jibesh Sarkar, a state committee member of CPM. “The onus lies with Mamata Banerjee because it was her hurry and lack of understanding of the reality that led to today’s situation.”
Bhattacharya also frowned on Mamata Banerjee’s open assertion that no Morcha leader or supporter associated with the Gorkhaland movement would be arrested. “We had run the government over decades and cannot find any such clause under which a chief minister can take such a decision. It is absolutely a biased one, made to appease the Morcha leaders,” the former minister said.(Telegraph)
0 comments:
Post a Comment