Darjeeling, Feb. 15: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to lay siege to Darjeeling Municipality from 6am tomorrow to prevent the commissioners from electing a new chairman.
Dinesh Gurung, the president of the Morcha (Sadar town committee), said: “Two commissioners, Pranay Rai and Pasang Bhutia, resigned more than six months ago but elections to these posts have not yet been held. We demand that the polls to the two wards be held first. Later, they can elect the civic chairman,” said Gurung. Party sources claimed that 13 commissioners are now with the Morcha as against the 15 from the GNLF.
The post of the civic chairman has been lying vacant ever since B.B. Dewan, the incumbent, died on January 1. Elections to the post were expected to be held on January 14, but could not be, following the Morcha’s call for closure of all government offices demanding the rejection of the special status.
Even tomorrow, all government offices are expected to be closed as part of the ongoing Morcha agitation.
“More than the party, it is the people of the town who will come and gherao the municipality because now it is known that the GNLF enjoys hardly five per cent support in the civic area,” said Gurung.
Sources said the Morcha is already mobilising its supporters and hundreds of people are expected to lay siege to the municipality from early tomorrow.
Rajesh Pandey, the Darjeeling district magistrate, said: “Election to the post of the chairman is a democratic process and should be allowed to take place. It should have been held within 15 days of the chairman’s post falling vacant. But since it could not be arranged the last time around, the government had used discretionary power to allow it to function without a chairman till date.” Regarding Morcha's demand for election to the two vacant wards, Pandey said it was up to the state election commissioner to decide on the dates.
Divorce for ‘land’
A 29-year-old employee of the water works department of the Darjeeling Municipality has decided to divorce his wife because she is a GNLF member.
Chandan Yolmo, who is a Morcha supporter, wants his wife Romila, the commissioner of Ward 13, to join his party. “I love my land and this is why I have decided to divorce her. I could speak to her only yesterday and now even her cellphone is out of range,” Yolmo told reporters in Darjeeling.
With elections to the post of chairman slated for tomorrow, most of the GNLF commissioners are being protected to prevent any last minute horse-trading. Romila could not be contacted.
Siege test for civic body - Patrols to keep out Ghisingh as hills gear up for ‘economic blockade’
at 12:04 AM Labels: darjeeling municipality, gorkha janmukti morcha
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3 comments:
“More than the party, it is the people of the town who will come and gherao the municipality because now it is known that the GNLF enjoys hardly five per cent support in the civic area,” said Gurung.
The answer to the above statement is that more of the town people are experienccing inconvenience rather than the gherao issue. GJM opposed municipality elections because of the less majority GJM 13, GNLF 15. If it was the other way round, they would have happily contested the elections.
Now the issue of GJM interest in the defunct DGHC election is quite a camouflage experiencce when they want Gorkhaland and that is why people are supporting them.
I have literally lost hope on this new party GJM when I supported them. They are the same and will do anything for the defunct DGHC chair which they had called a government which is useless.
please news correspondents, don't give an emotional touch to the GJM as in the last few paragraphs. Anybody can make up such stories. what facts are they based upon? your support for gjm?
ajoy edwards is quite a popular figure from the beginning because of his love for darjeeling and his carnival doings. i guess people will never remember the good things and will always plaster a person for one wrong doing.
Do you hear anyone talking about the good things that ajoy did for darjeeling - for instance the darjeeling carnival? and the irony is quite amazing, the morcha people proclaim him as maato birodhi, gorkhaland birodhi and jaati birodhi.
I question one thing - are those with the morcha flags in their hands, the only people who love their land, their people and are in support for Gorkhaland? Others are all birodhis - this is a fact. Even if you love your land, morcha will convince you that you are maato birodhi.
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