Hill parties slam demand for 2-tier panchayat system

Amitava Banerjee, THT, Darjeeling, 21 December 2013: The Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM) has dubbed the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's demand for a two-tier panchayat election in the Darjeeling Hills as a violation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Act. 

"To implement a three-tier panchayat system in Darjeeling the constitution has to be amended. This is time consuming, hence we have demanded elections to the twotier system," said GJM general secretary Roshan Giri. 

Incidentally, the constitution was amended in 1988 to incorporate a two-tier panchayat system in Darjeeling with the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC.) However, with the formation of the GTA the GJM has been demanding that the three-tier should be reinstated. Now they have climbed down from the demand. 

"This is an utter violation of the GTA Act which states that the three-tier panchayat will be implemented in the Hills. This has prompted serious questions on the credibility of the GTA," said CPRM spokesperson Govind Chettri. 

Chettri pointed out that if a mahakuma parishad could be constituted in Siliguri in 1988 to incorporate the two-tier panchayat system in the Hills, then similar bodies could be constituted in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong to pave way for the three-tier panchayat system in the Hills. 

Pratap Khati of the All India Gorkha League (AIGL), explaining the technicalities, said the state government could not hold elections to even a single tier of the panchayat in the GTA area. 

"The constitution has not been amended to insert the GTA and delete the DGHC. Hence any Panchayat election will be treated as election of the panchayat under the DGHC. The election will be treated null and void as physically the DGHC has ceased to exist and has been replaced by the GTA," explained Khati. 

Gurung's decision to return back to the GTA as the chief executive has drawn flak. 

" This is a clear indicator that the GJM has traded the Gorkhaland demand. They lied to the Hills that they were true to the Gorkhaland demand, which resulted in a self-immolation in Kalimpong during the 44- day agitation in August. This is how the GJM is replaying the martyr's sacrifice. It is time the GJM declare that they have traded the Gorkhaland demand," added Chettri.