Bhandari supports Gorkhaland issue

Gangtok , Sikkim : Sikkim State Congress President and Former Chief Minister of Sikkim Shri Nar Bahadur Bhandari on Sunday supported the demand for formation of a separate Gorkhaland state. "Only the formation of separate Gorkhaland state could fulfil the aspirations of the hill people of Darjeeling and surrounding areas.... The special autonomous status under the sixth schedule of the constitution was not sufficient for economic development of the region," he said. The former Sikkim chief minister said he would espouse the cause of a separate Gorkhaland state even as he took a dig at the GNLF chief Subash Ghising for distancing himself from the demand of the statehood by expressing satisfaction at the centre's decision for according special status to the hill region under the sixth schedule.

Source: Sikkim News