‘Goodwill’ gesture in partial strike - Partha stresses on bandh-free protest, points to land panel

AVIJIT SINHA

Ministers Gautam Deb and Partha Chatterjee (right) at the office of the north Bengal development department in Siliguri on Sunday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo Siliguri, April 8: An anti-hill forum in the Dooars-Terai has scaled down a two-day shutdown to a 24-hour general strike as a “goodwill” gesture after a meeting with industries minister Partha Chatterjee, saying it expected the government to reciprocate. The forum also said the strike has been partially withdrawn — and will now be observed in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts on April 10 — keeping in mind the interest of the business community, specially shopkeepers before the Bengali New Year. Chatterjee, who acted as an emissary of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, urged the forum to refrain from strikes, specially when there were options to make submissions before the government committee looking into the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s demand for plains territory to be made part of the hill set-up. “Calling general strikes over the hill issue had become a regular feature in this region. The state government, through its initiatives, could successfully bring the region out of this phase that had deterred development in north Bengal,” the industries minister said. “We have asked the organisations to make submissions before the high-powered committee which has not yet made its recommendations on territory. The joint forum and its constituents can resort to other forms of agitation but they must refrain from strikes, which affect the economy of a region,” he added. The Dooars-Terai Joint Action Committee, a forum of 26 organisations including the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, Intuc and KPP, is opposed to the Morcha demand to bring Gorkha-dominated mouzas in the foothills under the to-be-formed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). Asked after the meeting if he would ask the Morcha too to withdraw its 48-hour strike starting April 18, the minister said: “We will talk to everybody as the state government does not want development to be affected because of strikes.” Another joint action committee led by the Morcha and the John Barla-faction of the Adivasi Vikas Parishad has called the strike to protest the plains forum’s demand. Chatterjee was accompanied by north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb in the first meeting that the government held with the plains outfits opposed to the Morcha. The almost-back-to-back 96-hour bandh calls had made the business community apprehensive and it was looking forward to government intervention. The forum, which had earlier said it would not withdraw the strike till the government gave in writing that not an inch of land from the Dooars and Terai would be added to the GTA, softened today. “Although no concrete assurance has been given by the state, we have decided to partially withdraw the strike and will observe it on April 10 in deference to the minister,” committee convener, the KPP’s Atul Roy said. “Rallies in support of the strike would be held in Siliguri, Nagrakata and Jalpaiguri tomorrow. But we hope the government will reciprocate our goodwill gesture. If the state shows no sign of meeting our demands, then we will decide our next course of action on April 16.” Sources present at the meeting said the forum was also under pressure from traders. “We had to relent a bit as this is the time traders look forward to, ahead of the New Year (April 14) and the Chaitra sale,” said a source. Chatterjee will meet tour operators and the business community tomorrow.(The Telegraph)