Demand to include Darjeeling Hills under North Eastern Council

SNS, Darjeeling, 3 December 2013: The Communist Party of India (Marxists) politburo member, Mr Sitaram Yechury, today reiterated his party’s demand that the Darjeeling Hills should be included in the North Eastern Council ~ a stance that might endear the Marxists to the GJMM which has also been raising the same demand for some time.
He also said that he had earlier submitted a written recommendation in the Parliament to include Darjeeling Hills under Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
He said this while addressing a programme at Gorkha Dukha Niwarak Sammelan (GDNS) Hall in Darjeeling, organised to commemorate the birth centenary of the late chief minister of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu. “If we take a look at the map of the north-eastern states now availing of the facility of DONER, it would seem that Darjeeling is the only region that is left out. This is injustice. As a Member of the Parliament, I had earlier recommended in writing to the Centre to extend DONER to Darjeeling,” Mr Yechury said. “The people along with the parties across the spectrum here should pressure the Centre. The matter should be debated in the Parliament too,” he said, adding that such an inclusion would herald all-round development of the Hilly terrain of Bengal.
The Ministry of DoNER was established in September 2001 that functions as the nodal department of the Centre to deal with matters related to the socio-economic development of the eight states now under Northeastern Council.
Paying obeisance to the memory of the legendary leader, Jyoti Basu, he said his party has been following him in fulfilling his dream of a better India.
“According to a recent survey, India records the maximum number of rich people, as compared to other countries, but it is sad to note that it has the highest number of children that die every day due to malnutrition,” the Marxist leader said. All India Gorkha League (AIGL) was the only party from the Hills that was present at the programme. All the parties, including the members of the GTA, were invited to it, said senior CPI-M leader from the Hills, Mr K B Wattar.