GJMM refutes AIGL’s ‘secret meeting’ allegations

DARJEELING, Oct. 24: The Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha leadership has issued a 7 November deadline to All India Gorkha League president Mr Madan Tamang to prove the efficacy of the allegation regarding their secret meeting with the state home secretary Mr AM Chakraborty at Teen Chulay in Takda during the official's recent visit to the hill town.

“The allegation is completely baseless and false. I had not been even aware of the home secretary's visit to Darjeeling until I read Mr Tamang's allegation in the newspapers today”, party president Mr Bimal Gurung said.

Mr Tamang yesterday alleged that the GJMM and the state government had reached an understanding regarding the suspension of GL registration plates and government office signboards defacement programmes on 11October at one Naina Singh Gurung's residence in Takda. “He has made a serious accusation. If by 7 November he fails to state specifically who had accompanied me to Takda, the numbers of the Sikkim registration vehicle in which we are supposed to have travelled and the exact timing of the alleged secret meting, the GJMM would not take responsibility for what the public may do to him”, Mr Gurung warned.

Rationalising his move the leader said that even Gandhiji had pulled the reigns on the non-cooperation movement when he had felt the need to do so.

“We are doing the same and the Governor has appreciated the move,” Mr Gurung said. It may be mentioned that the GJMM suspended its twin programmes on 22 October supposedly at the Governor's request to maintain a conducive atmosphere for the forthcoming tripartite meet. Incidentally, Mr Gurung had recently stated that the failure of the tripartite talks in November would be beneficial for the movement. “It is evident that our proposal of Gorkhaland would be unacceptable to both the Centre and the state government and the talks are likely to fail”, he clarified today. While informing that the tripartite talks would be held in the 3rd week of November, the leader stated that he had not yet decided about his turning up at the proposed negotiation. “But I would be present at the programme of the Minority Forum on 5 November in Delhi”, Mr Gurung said.

However, he re-iterated that the Hill Opposition would not be a part of the tripartite talk delegation.