Darjeeling, Feb. 26: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today formally submitted a letter to the BJP, asking the party to include the creation of Gorkhaland in its election manifesto.
Morcha president Bimal Gurung, who led a five-member delegation to Delhi, said his outfit has not pledged support to any national party as yet. “We have just given them (BJP) a letter asking for inclusion of our demand. We made it clear that we were open to talks with any party that supports our demand,” said Gurung over the phone from Delhi.
The BJP leaders like party president Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and S.S. Ahluwalia said Gurung’s proposal would have to be discussed at the meeting on election manifesto. Ahluwalia has been appointed to oversee election related work for Bengal and the Northeast.
Sources said the Morcha letter followed a suggestion from BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani. Gurung, along with other Morcha leaders, had attended a dinner hosted by Advani in Delhi last evening. MORE...
The state BJP leadership today said that it would under no circumstances acquiesce to the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha's demand of incorporating ‘Gorkhaland’ in the party's national manifesto.
It may be mentioned that a GJMM delegation led by the party president Mr Bimal Gurung left for New Delhi today on an invitation from the BJP veteran Mr L K Advani. Before emplaning for the capital Mr Gurung said at Bagdogra that the GJMM would insist during parleys with the BJP central leadership to incorporate ‘Gorkhaland’ in its election manifesto. MORE...
Darjeeling: A team of BJP leaders from the Bengal state committee is expected to visit the Darjeeling hills to feel the pulse of the people on the Sixth Schedule.
G.S. Yonzone, the president of the BJP (hill unit), said: “The state committee has written a letter, which says that they would like to visit Darjeeling soon. I am trying to work out the dates.”
Yonzone has signed a joint memorandum with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the CPRM against the Sixth Schedule. The decision has been communicated to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs to whom the special status bill has been referred to.
The BJP leader’s stand comes at a time when his party in Delhi is yet to issue any statement on the Sixth Schedule. So far the BJP has opposed the bill on technical grounds. Even chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has gone on record maintaining that L.K. Advani had categorically said the BJP had not opposed the content of the bill.
Since the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution needs to be amended to grant special status to the hills, the BJP demanded that the bill be referred to a parliamentary committee like any other constitutional amendment bill. Later Sushma Swaraj, the BJP leader who heads the committee, said since there are lots of grievance about the bill, it should be examined threadbare
When asked if he had consulted the state committee before deciding to oppose the bill, Yonzone said “he was in constant touch with the party leaders”.
The visit of the BJP state-level leaders is expected to be important as their briefing to the central leadership could play an instrumental role in deciding the fate of the Sixth Schedule bill.
The support of the BJP is of much importance if the special status is to be implemented in the Darjeeling hills. Constitutional amendments — in this case the Sixth Schedule has to be amended — must be backed by two-thirds of 50 per cent members of the House present.
Source: The Telegraph
Darjeeling: The central leadership of the BJP has sent feelers to the ABGL to work together, one of the leaders of the hill party claimed today.
Madan Tamang, the president of the ABGL, who arrived here from Delhi today, said: “During my meeting with Rajnath Singh (BJP president), he categorically asked me if we were willing to work with his party.”
The BJP does not have much hold in the hills and in the last parliamentary elections, its candidate from Darjeeling had got around 1 lakh votes. The ABGL had then, along with the CPRM and the GNLF (C) — all members of the PDF, an anti-Subash Ghisingh coalition in the hills — backed Dawa Narbula, the Congress candidate, who went on to win the elections.
In recent times, the CPM and the GNLF, Subash Ghisingh’s party, have been wooing the BJP since its support is necessary to get the Sixth Schedule amendment bill passed. The amendment will give Sixth Schedule status to the Darjeeling hills.
Tamang also claimed that the PDF never had any alliance with the Congress, but had supported it in the parliamentary elections out of political compulsions.
“But we are looking at an alliance with the BJP. The equations are favourable as both the ABGL and the BJP are opposed to the CPM,” the leader added.
Although Tamang has not yet conveyed his message to the PDF members, he is likely to do so through a public meeting schedule to take place at Chowk Bazar tomorrow.
“Forging a working relation with the BJP will be of immense help as all decisions on the Sixth Schedule status will be ultimately taken on a political level. I have given lots of documents to the BJP to help it corner the CPM as far as its hill policy is concerned,” said Tamang.
Source: The Telegraph