Opposition parties left for Delhi for hearing on Sixth Schedule

Darjeeling: Representatives of most of the Opposition parties in the hills have left for Delhi to attend a hearing on the Sixth Schedule status on Thursday, though Subash Ghisingh’s party, the GNLF, is yet to take a decision.

“Let us wait till tomorrow. I don’t know if we are going to attend the meeting convened by the parliamentary Standing Committee,” Deepak Gurung, the president of the GNLF Darjeeling Branch Committee, told The Telegraph today.

The bill on the Sixth Schedule, which has to be amended to confer the special status on the Darjeeling hills, was referred to the Standing Committee after the BJP raised objections.

The report of the committee could influence the BJP stand. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has already met the party leaders in Delhi to garner support against the special status. The BJP had demanded a threadbare discussion on the bill as, according to senior leader Sushma Swaraj, there were many misgivings about it.

At such a juncture, the GNLF refusal to make its stand clear has surprised political observers.

Ghisingh had told reporters in Siliguri yesterday that the “onus” of passing the bill rested with the people/authorities concerned and that he was confident that the BJP would help pass the bill.

However, observers believe that in the absence of the GNLF, the Opposition will be able to put forward their argument to the Standing Committee with ease.

For the Opposition, the main argument is that the special status would divide the Gorkha community along the tribal-non-tribal line. It will also protest against the exclusion of the Nepali-speaking areas of the Dooars from the Sixth Schedule status.

Following a series of meetings between the Morcha, CPRM, GNLF (C) and the Gorkha Rastriya Congress, the parties have decided to submit a joint memorandum to the parliamentary committee. Madan Tamang, the president of the ABGL, which is not a signatory to the memorandum, will also attend the meeting.

Morcha in garden

The Morcha formed its youth front at Happy Valley Tea Garden yesterday. Alok Kant Thulung, president of the youth front, said: “We now challenge the GNLF to hold a meeting and show us how many supporters they have.”

Source: The Telegraph