Withdrawal part of GJMM’s plan: AIGL

DARJEELING, Oct. 23: The All India Gorkha League leadership charged the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leadership today with having reached a secret understanding with the state government before the formal withdrawal of the party's agitational programmes related to GL number plates and defacement of state government office signboards.
“The formal withdrawal supposedly at the intervention of the Governor is a mere eye wash. The deal had been struck much earlier with state home secretary Mr AM Chakraborty during his recent visit to Darjeeling," alleged the AIGL president Mr Madan Tamang.

"There is ample evidence to prove that the key GJMM leaders on board in vehicles with Sikkim registration plates met the home secretary at Mr Naina Singh Gurung's residence at Teen Chulay in Takda in the darkness of the night on 11 October. A clandestine deal was struck right then and the decision to suspend agitation was taken," said Mr Tamang.

“The Governor has only provided the GJMM leadership with the much needed face saving formula. It proved to be a mere pretext to break the news to the people of the Hills. GJMM is planning to contest elections soon. It would let down the Gorkhaland movement anytime to suit its political convenience," Mr Tamang asserted. After defacing "West Bengal" on some of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and state government office signboards on 17 October, the GJMM immediately decided to go slow on the programme to avoid direct confrontation with the state administration after FIR's were filed by those offices whose boards were blackened.

Moreover, the home secretary who was present in Darjeeling in the second week of October had stated that action would be taken in accordance with the government's non-confrontation policy.

“This is a game on the part of the state government and the GJMM. The inspector general of police, North Bengal, Mr KL Tamta assisted them," Mr Tamang said.
According to the AIGL leader, the GJMM relaxed the non-payment of electric bills after the state government had warned to withhold all funds to the DGHC.