No Second State Reorganization Commission for Gorkhaland

The Center today ruled out setting up of second state reorganization commission (SRC) for the creation of separate Gorkhaland by bifurcating Darjeeling.

“The Union government has never declared the setting up of second SRC. Even the NDA government opposed in writing against the setting up of a second SRC. So SRC is nothing but figment of people’s imagination,” said Mr Pranab Mukherjee, external affairs minister, today.

He said this at international airport terminal after meeting a 19 member Assembly delegation before leaving for Delhi.

The Assembly delegation which comprises Left Front partners, GNLF and Congress MLAs will meet Mr Shivraj Patil, Union home minister and Ms Shushma Swaraj, chairperson of the Standing Committee, tomorrow to discuss the inclusion of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in the Sixth schedule.

The delegation will also meet Mr Jairam Ramesh, minister of state for Industry and Commerce, for reopening the closed tea garden.

However, three representatives of Trinamul Congress, including the leader of the Opposition, Mr Partha Chattopadhyay, were conspicuous by their absence.
Mr Mukherjee said: “We are interested in including DGHC in the Sixth schedule. Considering the urgency of the matter, we have brought a resolution and kept the issue in the business of Parliament so that we can debate the Bill.”

The Bill was passed unanimously in the Assembly and the chief minister has also met the Prime Minister, Congress chief Mrs Sonia Gandhi and leader of the Opposition to meet the long standing demand of the GNLF to include DGHC in the Sixth Schedule.
But the main Opposition party has demanded that the Bill be sent to the Standing Committee for consideration and “I hope within first two days of the ensuing budget session, the report will be placed in the House and we will then pass this Bill. I hope that there will be no major opposition regarding this bill.”