CPI(M) on Saturday rejected West Bengal government’s invitation to Leader of Opposition Suryakanta Mishra to attend the signing ceremony of the tripartite agreement that will pave the way for establishment of a new elected administrative body for Darjeeling.
The agreement will be signed on Monday at Pintel village.
“We reject the State government’s invitation to attend the agreement signing ceremony since nothing has been conveyed to us about its content as well as the basis on which the treaty is going to be signed,” Mr. Mishra told reporters at the CPI(M) headquarter after the party’s state committee meeting.
The CPI(M) leader said the proposed name of the new hill council ‘Gorkhaland Territorial Administration’ was “highly misleading, confusing and bound to create disunity in the Darjeeling hills”.
Alleging that the State government did not bother to discuss the issue with the Opposition parties before inviting him to attend the signing ceremony, Mr. Mishra said, “We think there cannot be any breaking point regarding the nomenclature of the council.”
“Not only Opposition parties, common people are also totally kept in dark about the content of the agreement which is bound to create more problems and confusion in the Hills.”
He said that the inclusion of areas like Dooars and Terai in the new Council “will complicate the already complex situation in Darjeeling Hills.”
The leader also claimed that the agreement would only create a division in the Hills.
