Sitaram Yechury’s recommendation condemned by social activists

SILIGURI: Desperate attempt of CPIM top leader Sitaram Yechuri to bring back his party to the relevance in Darjeeling hills politics in erstwhile red bastion West Bengal has been condemned by social activists those who have already given a major stir to all the policy makers trying to churn out political benefits out of volatile political chemistry of Darjeeling.

In a public meeting at Darjeeling last week, Mr. Yechuri demanded West Bengal hills, including Darjeeling, to be include under North Eastern Council( NEC).

NEC Industrial policy designed for the NE states only offers Tax Holiday, Capital Subsidy or many other benefits to new entrepreneurs investing in these industrially backward states. As the youngest member of NEC, Sikkim offer these benefits since 2002.

While labeling Mr. Yechury’s statement as an ‘irresponsible’ or malevolent’ one, important social activists group, Jana Chetana Chief Dr. D P Kar has strongly condemned it.

Jana Chetana’s views carry significant importance on WB hills issue as this is well known for its politically neutral and logical approach in analyzing Darjeeling development. Further more, its appeal on Indo-Nepal treaty 1950 and ‘misutilization’ of the treaty giving fuel to the Darjeeling crisis has already been taken into cognigence by the Kolkata High Court. The development has put West Bengal state Government, Indian election commission, Union external affairs Ministry under uncomfortable position. But none could boldly and logically oppose Jana Chetana.

As Chairman of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees

on Transport, Tourism and Culture, Mr. Sitaram Yechury recomended this inclusion in the standing committee report. He said, “The people of Darjeeling are facing the same vagaries of nature and difficulties of life as those by the adjoining areas of North-Eastern states.”

The report was highly appreciated by common mass of Darjeeling and commercial arena. Naturally, all major political circles also echoed the same.

But, “The cry of Yechury is to make his party relevant to Darjeeling where they have already become near non existing entity,” said political observers.

Giving it a new dimension, now Jana Chetana has also come up with another angle of the issue. “We ask CPIM whether their old advocacy for VIth schedule promalgamation in Darjeeling and inclusion of that under NEC bear any relation with the clamour for Sikkim- Darjeeling merger or not,” asked Dr Kar. “We believe, this statememnt has enough potential to further vitiate the atmosphere of Darjeeling,” he added.

However, when asked, CPIM as well as TMC top leaders refused to comment on Jana Chetana’s views.