Hill parties to raise Gorkhaland demand from one platform

DARJEELING, August 13, 2013

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) yesterday after an all-party meeting decided that the demand for ‘Gorkhaland’ on the lines of Telangana would be raised collectively from one platform as the indefinite bandh entered the tenth day yesterday, paralysing normal life.

Morcha had called an allparty meeting yesterday to determine the future of the movement to demand Gorkhaland on the lines of Telangana and in view of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on August 10 declaring it illegal and to call it off within 72-hours.

The Chief Minister had also mentioned the Calcutta High Court order to the State government to maintain normalcy in the hills.

GJM president Bimal Gurung, general secretary Roshan Giri and other top leaders were present at the meeting, which was attended by all political parties in the Hills including the Congress (Hills), Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League, Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist, Bharatiya Janta party (Hills), Gorkhaland Task Force, Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Morcha, Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh and the Gorkha Rashtriya Congress.

Only the TMC, CPI (M), Trinamul Congress and Gorkha National Liberation Front stayed away from the all-party meeting.

Speaking about the meeting, the Morcha spokesperson Harka Bahadur Chettri said, “Most of the major parties that function in the Hills have responded to the meeting we had called except the TMC, GNLF and the CPM. In the meeting we have adopted a five-point resolution which we will follow.”

The Morcha spokesperson said that all present in the meeting has agreed to come under one platform for the demand of Gorkhaland irrespective of their ideologies.

All present in yesterday’s meeting will now have to attend another meeting slated for August 16 during which future course of action for the statehood demand would be chalked out. Different committees would also be formed for a new body to be named on that day.

“Whatever programmes that we will launch for Gorkhaland will be decided together from now onwards,” said Chettri. “It was also unanimously decided by everyone that that we will be dropping the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration but at an appropriate time,” he added.

Yesterday’s meeting also condemned the arrests that were being made in the hills.

“The state government in the name of maintaining law and order is committing atrocities in this area and we condemn it. This is nothing but sponsored terrorism with police raaj going on here,” said Chettri adding that all the political parties present in the meeting also appeal to all the people in the hills to support the two day ‘junta curfew’ that starts from tomorrow.

(Courtesy: Sikkim Express)