Jaigaon, June 29: A pan-Indian organisation of tribal communities has objected to the inclusion of the Terai and Dooars in the new state demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

The state leadership of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad announced this today while forming its Nagrakata local committee. More than 5,000 people from tribal communities had gathered at Nagrakata Hindi Madhyamik School to hear their leaders speak.

The general secretary of the parishad’s state committee, Tejkumar Toppo, cautioned the gathering that the demand for the inclusion of the Himalayan foothills in Gorkhaland should not be allowed to gather momentum.

“There has been a wind blowing in the Dooars and the Terai that these areas would be included in a so-called Gorkhaland. Let me tell you, do not allow this wind to turn into a storm,” Toppo said.

“We cannot understand why these two regions are being included in the proposed Gorkhaland, as 75 per cent of the population here comprises people from tribal communities,” said that parishad’s state president, Birsa Tirkey.

“We are not bothered whether or not the Bengal government allows the division of the state. We will oppose the demand to include the Terai and the Dooars in Gorkhaland,” Tirkey added.

The parishad leaders pointed out that when the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council was formed in 1988, tribes like the Lepchas and the Bhutias were neglected.

They added that the parishad was not against the Gorkhas.

“Our struggle is against the central and state governments whose lopsided policies are still having no effect on the uplift of the tribal communities,” Tirkey said.

Efforts to contact the Morcha’s Dooars committee members, Madhukar Thapa and Vinod Ghatani, on their mobile phones proved fruitless.