Tribal body gives LS poll boycott call in north Bengal

Charging the West Bengal Govt of not promptly addressing its demands, which included delimitation declaring a reserved LS seat for tribals in Terai and Dooars belt, the ABABP decided to boycott the general elections in Terai and Dooars region of Bengal.

Charging the West Bengal government of not promptly addressing its demands, which included delimitation declaring a reserved Lok Sabha seat for tribals in Terai and Dooars belt, the Akhil Bharatiya Adibasi Bikash Parishad (ABABP) on Wednesday decided to boycott the general elections in Terai and Dooars region of Bengal.

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The decision was arrived after a night-long 'marathan meeting' of the working committee of ABABP at Nagrakata which was attended by the Vice-President and General Secretary of its state committee along with the executive members and local leaders, the Terai-Dooars Coordinator of ABABP Rajesh Lakra told PTI over phone.

He said the decision for active campaigning for boycott was taken as ABABP's ultimatium, dated on February 24 to the state government to meet its four point charter of demands, expired on March 31 evening.

The other demands included setting up the East-West Corridor road through Dooars as its original schedule, re-opening of all 16 closed tea gardens, distribution of 'pattas' (land deed) of tea garden land among the workers of garden and adjacent forest bustee areas.