Mamata urges PM Modi to revoke Gorkha interlocutor appointment

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday (October 18) expressed both surprise and shock following the appointment of retired IPS officer Pankaj Kumar Singh as an interlocutor to hold discussions on the issues relating to Gorkhas.

Mamata claimed her government was not consulted before Singh's appointment as an interlocutor to hold discussions on the issues relating to Gorkhas in Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars regions of West Bengal. She termed the action "inconsistent with the spirit of cooperative federalism".

She demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoke the decision.

Also Read: Gorkhaland demand: Centre appoints Pankaj Kumar Singh as interlocutor for talks

A letter to Modi

Mamata stressed that any initiative concerning the Gorkha community must involve the West Bengal government to ensure sustained peace and harmony in the region.

In the two-page letter to Modi, she said, "This appointment has been made without any consultation with the Government of West Bengal, even though the issues under reference directly relate to the governance, peace, and administrative stability of the area under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), an autonomous body under the Government of West Bengal".

"Such unilateral action is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperative federalism that forms one of the foundational principles of our Constitution," she added.

"It may be recalled that the GTA was constituted following a Tripartite Agreement signed on 18th July, 2011 at Darjeeling, between the Government of India, the Government of West Bengal and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) in the presence of the then Hon'ble Union Home Minister and the Chief Minister of West Bengal," she said.

According to her, the GTA was created to ensure socio-economic, infrastructural, educational, cultural and linguistic development of the hill areas, while safeguarding the ethnic identity of the Gorkhas and promoting peaceful co-existence among all communities, a hallmark of the unity and harmony of the hills.

Also Read: The scars of a Gorkha rebellion in the Himalayan foothills

Revoke appointment order

Mamata said peace and harmony have prevailed in the hill districts of the state, which have been possible with the concerted and continuous efforts made by her government after it came to power in 2011. "We are committed to continuing our positive efforts in that direction," she said.

Mamata is firmly of the view that any initiative concerning the Gorkha community or the GTA region must be undertaken in full consultation with her government, in order to preserve the "hard-earned peace and tranquillity in the region". She added that any unilateral action in this sensitive matter would not be in the interest of peace and harmony in the region.

"I would, therefore, request you to kindly reconsider and revoke this appointment order issued without prior and due consultation with the Government of West Bengal, as is expected in the true spirit of federalism and mutual respect between the Union and the States," she said.