Another board from CM kitty

Rajeev Ravidas, TT, Kalimpong, Sept. 16: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today went back on her word and announced a development board for Mangars, the first non-tribal Gorkha community from the hills to be given such a cultural platform.

The Lepchas, Tamangs, Sherpas and Bhutias, who have development boards, are all tribals.

"The Mangars want a development board, so do the Rais and the Limbus. I have given it to the Mangars," she said at an event organised by the Lepcha Development Board at the Mela Grounds in Kalimpong. Immediately after her announcement, the members of the Mangar community in the crowd of over 10,000 consisting mostly of the Lepchas started dancing.

"This has opened the doors of opportunity for the members of our community. We will forever be grateful to the chief minister for giving us this board," said Navin Thapa, the secretary of the Nava Mangar Association.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is against the chief minister's decision to form the development boards and Bimal Gurung has said this was an effort to divide the people of the hills.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said: "This is part of her divide-and-rule policy. If her intentions are sincere, she ought to make boards for all Gorkha communities."

The chief minister went back her word of not forming any more boards, which she had said in Darjeeling on August 25. Her change of heart, it appears, has come about because of the enthusiastic response she received from the beneficiary communities of the earlier tribal bodies during her current visit to the hills.

"I want development to take place in the hills. If we indulge only in politics, the people will suffer," she said while lauding the Lepcha board for delivering on development.

In an oblique reference to the Morcha, she said the politics of agitation will not bring any good. "Don't agitate, it will hurt Darjeeling.... If you want to talk, the doors are always open. What is needed is not speeches, but development," she said in a mix of Hindi and broken Nepali.

Yesterday, at another event in Kalimpong, people had clapped when Mamata had said she would not let go of the hills, reiterating her stand that she was against the bifurcation of Bengal.

Today, the chief minister also announced some sops for the Lepchas and other communities. The significant among them was the hike in the annual budget of the Lepcha board from Rs 30 crore to Rs 35 crore and construction of a building in Calcutta for Lepchas visiting the state capital and another one for the people of the hills visiting Siliguri.