North tribals seek separate board

TT ,27 Nov 2019, Siliguri: A section of adivasis in north Bengal have demanded a separate development board for them as the one formed by the Bengal government deal with all tribals in the state.

Under the banner of the Adivasi Mahasangh, the north Bengal tribals demanded that the board be formed for adivasis in the Darjeeling hills, Dooars and the Terai.

"Our organisation has consistently demanded a board that would work for the socioeconomic and cultural development of tribals. It is good that chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her government accepted our demand and constituted such a board in 2018. But later, we came to know that the board has been formed for all tribals in Bengal," said Satya Narayan Baraik, a leader of the Mahasangh.

After the board was formed, Birsa Tirkey, the state president of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parish- ad, another organisation of tribals, was made its chairman. Some others were chosen as its members, including Baraik.

Last week, Baraik and two other members of the board reached the district magistrate's office in Jalpaiguri. There, they submitted a memorandum addressed to the chief minister and sought the removal of Tirkey from the chairman's post.

"Ever since the board was formed, nothing has been done for the tribal population of north Bengal. The chairman is running the board according to his whims and our suggestions are overlooked. That is why we want a separate board and a competent person as its chairman. We simultaneously want Tirkey's removal," Baraik added.

Tirkey, however, brushed aside the charges.

During the past few days, the members of the Adivasi Mahasangh have submitted a number of memoranda at places like Mirik (in Darjeeling) and Gorubathan (in Kalimpong). "We will continue to harp on our demand. The state should understand that the purpose with which the board was formed has not been met," said another leader of the Mahasangh.

Such a new demand from the tribals would be a fresh poser for Mamata and her government, opined observers. This is because in north Bengal, votes of the tribal population decide the fate of candidates in at least 10 Assembly seats..