Darjeeling, Feb. 13: Hundreds of former army personnel today marched through the streets of Darjeeling with their service medals to form the Bharatiya Gorkha Bhutpurba Sainik Morcha, which will be affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
The retired soldiers have threatened to surrender their medals to the President if the demand for a separate state is not met.
During a meeting held at Gymkhana Hall, Morcha president Bimal Gurung was made the chief patron of the organisation while Brig. (retd) N. Gurung, a recipient of the Vishistha Seva Medal, the chief adviser.
“During the agitation for Gorkhaland in 1986, we had fully supported Subash Ghisingh, but today our people are showing him black flags,” said Col (retd) R. Allay from Kalimpong.
Most of the speakers at the first-of-its kind convention spoke on the need for a separate state and accused both Ghisingh and the Bengal government of neglecting issues related to the welfare of the retired soldiers.
“No effort has been made to introduce re-settlement schemes for retired personnel. We even had to fight to rename the War Memorial at Batasia into Gorkha War Memorial. A request to Ghisingh for a plot of land to set up an office in Darjeeling also went unheard. He did not even meet us once,” said Col (retd) K. Tshering. Among other allegations was that no cash or land has ever been given as reward to retired personnel in Bengal.
The organisation promised to make the demand for Gorkhaland a national issue and said they might go to Delhi soon with it.
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