CPI-M to Mamata: Can't evade responsibility on Terai, Doars row

Kolkata, April 23 (IANS) West Bengal opposition leader Surya Kanta Mishra Monday citicised the Mamata Banerjee regime over the ongoing violence in the Terai and Dooars regions, saying the government should show a "positive attitude" to resolve the problem.

Violent clashes and arson marked an indefinite shutdown in the state's Terai and Dooars regions called from Monday by a faction of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad (ABAVP), supported by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

"The government is making peace appeals to both the groups. But neither the state government nor the central government can evade their responsibilities to end the violence, as they were party to the tripartite agreement signed last July," said Mishra, while addressing reporters here.

Even as the chief minister issued an appeal to maintain peace in the region, the shutdown called by the John Barla-led faction of the ABAVP evoked a mixed response.

"The state government should not suffer from complacency. They have been claiming that they have completed 90 percent work. But we had pointed out earlier, that the signing of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (an autonomous body for the region) pact would create problems as the government did not consult everybody," Mishra said.

The politburo member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist suggested the government should immediately call an all-party meeting to resolve the issue.