GNLF massive meeting at Sukna

Sukna : Senior GNLF leaders today not only campaigned for the Sixth Schedule status but also threatened to restart the movement for Gorkhaland if the bill granting special status is not passed in the budget session of Parliament. However, they steered clear of discussing the contents of the bill.

Today’s meeting, according to Kurseong MLA Shanta Chhetri, was an attempt to stop “Bimal Gurung and his cohorts from misleading the people”. Gurung’s party, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, too had convened a party here, 9km from Siliguri, on December 9 to garner support against the Sixth Schedule.

“Our attempt was to brief people on the benefits of the special status and elaborate on our party’s contribution to development,” said Chhetri, a central committee leader of the GNLF.

Asked whether Gurung had any backing from outside, she said: “Unlike his meeting, nobody could find a single vehicle with Sikkim registration numbers here today.”

The MLA repeated what Ghisingh had said after his meeting with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee last week. “It is true that a section of party workers are frustrated over the delay. In case the bill is not passed in the budget session, we will restart the movement for Gorkhaland.”

Today’s meeting recorded a footfall of at least 15,000 people (some of the meeting attendants opine the crowd to be not less than 35000), who came down from the three hill subdivisions of Kalimpong, Kurseong and Darjeeling. There were people even from Mirik and the Nepali-dominated areas of the plains.

Although speakers like K.N. Subba, N.B. Khawas and I.N. Pradhan spoke on the Sixth Schedule at length, there was no discussion on the bill’s content, which left a section of the audience confused. “We were here because we thought the leaders would tell us more on the provisions of the Sixth Schedule,” said Phu Tshering Tamang from Mirik. “They were busy condemning the Morcha.”

The GNLF leaders, however, took a cautious stand on the BJP — the party that had objected to the passing of the bill and had demanded that it be sent to the Standing Committee. “We don’t find anything wrong with the BJP demand. After all, an amendment bill should pass through a specified process,” Pradhan said.

Source: The Telegraph