Hill welcome for CM, flak from tour agents

Bimal Gurung’s party today said the chief minister was welcome to watch the Kanchenjungha from Darjeeling even as tour operators alleged that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s “limitations in visiting the hills” would affect tourist flow to the region.

“Politically, our positions might be different, but in general, he (chief minister) has been always welcome in the hills,” said Harka Bahadur Chhetri, the media and publicity secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

“He might have some compulsions and further, he has to stick to a routine (which is why he cannot visit). But from our side, there is no question of stopping him,” he added.

The Morcha assurance comes a day after the chief minister said in Siliguri that he “misses seeing Kanchenjungha from Darjeeling”.

“It is true that when I visit Darjeeling, I hope to catch a glimpse of Kanchenjungha. However, all wishes cannot be fulfilled all the time. There are certain compulsions and whenever I get the opportunity, I will definitely visit Darjeeling,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Chhetri said the chief minister’s missing-the- Kanchenjungha statement “indicates the change in the state government’s mindset”. “Through this comment, he has made it clear that Darjeeling is different from any other place of Bengal,” Chhetri said. “His comments do prove that Darjeeling is not like any other part of the state (and so he has his compulsions visiting the hills).”

While the Morcha welcomes the chief minister — two years back they had threatened to stop him from entering the hills and the Darjeeling district CPM had to shift the venue of their district conference to the plains — tour operators of the region expressed dissatisfaction.

“It is unfortunate that even though Bhattacharjee is the constitutional head of the state, he spoke of limitations in visiting Darjeeling which is very much a part of Bengal,” said Raj Basu, the working president of Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators’ Association. “If the chief minister shirks from visiting Darjeeling, it is natural that it would impact negatively the tourist flow.”

“We feel it is imperative that the state government hold dialogues with the political leaders of hills solely on tourism. If the chief minister does not go to Darjeeling, how can he instil confidence in others? It is, like, if I cannot go to my own house, how can I ask my family members?” Basu added.

From The Telegraph

GJMM fire for CM blame on Shilda camp

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has strongly condemned chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s allegation that the Eastern Frontier Rifles personnel at the Shilda camp were responsible for their own deaths.

On February 15, 24 EFR personnel were gunned down by Maoists at Shilda in West Midnapore and 16 of those killed hailed from the Darjeeling hills.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said over the phone from Delhi: “We strongly condemn the chief minister’s statement in the Assembly yesterday. It is the state government’s responsibility to act on specific intelligence inputs. The EFR personnel act only on directions from their top brass.”

Bhattacharjee, while replying to a question by the leader of Congress Legislative Party Manas Bhunia on the intelligence failure at the Shilda camp, said: “There was a failure on the part of the leadership at the camp. If they (policemen at the camp) ignored the intelligence inputs, it was a serious mistake.”

The Morcha general secretary said the government had already admitted that the Shilda camp was located in a vulnerable place. “This makes it clear that the government (despite the knowledge) had even then not shifted the camp to a safer location.

“The government should stop the blame game and take the responsibility for the 24 deaths as our people were the ones to die,” he said.

Bhattacharjee had also said intelligence reports were not always sent to the home secretary and the director-general of police or the district police superintendents, indicating that intelligence was shared at camp levels also. A three-member committee headed by home secretary Ardhendu Sen was investigating whether the Shilda camp had any specific information from the district intelligence sources.

“It was improper for the chief minister to react even before the investigation led by the home secretary was over,” Giri said.

Earlier, the Morcha leadership had expressed its displeasure over the absence of senior ministers and dignitaries like the mayor of Siliguri when the bodies of the slain EFR personnel were brought by road from West Midnapore to Siliguri en route to their homes for their funeral.

The Telegraph

No breakthrough in govt-GJM talks

A breakthrough on withdrawal of the hunger strike at Gorubathan could not be achieved despite talks lasting for over two hours between chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and representatives of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) here on Thursday.

The government, however, was upbeat that the contentious issue of allowing GJM to hold rallies in the Dooars have now been pushed to the background. On the other hand, issues of reopening of closed tea gardens in the Dooars, compensation to people whose houses in the region had been looted, withdrawal of cases slapped on GJM supporters and protection to GJM supporters living in the Dooars dominated the talks.

"Workers of closed tea gardens are suffering. They are not getting even the basic amenities," GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said. "The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere. But we will be satisfied only when the government takes some practical steps to fulfil our demands," he added. MORE...

Dooars crisis: Roshan Giri to meet CM today

A GJMM delegation led by the organisation’s general secretary, Mr Roshan Giri, is likely to meet chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkata tomorrow.

“Six leaders including myself are likely to attend the meeting. The chief minister expressed the desire yesterday through the state chief secretary to talk to us on the Dooars stalemate. We would positively respond to the CM’s call, yet, we would not budge from our well-defined stand vis-a-vis the six-point charter of demands concerning the Dooars,” said the GJMM secretary, Mr Roshan Giri, today. MORE...

Terrorism has entered Bengal in different forms: Buddhadeb

Describing terrorism as the biggest challenge, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said it had entered the state in the guise of Gorkhaland, Greater Cooch Behar and Lalgarh tribal agitations.

“I told the (Gorkha Janmukti Morcha) leaders in Darjeeling, ‘if you want more powers we are ready to give it. If you want more money for development, we will give it and Delhi will give it.’ But no, they want Gorkhaland. Not only Darjeeling, they also want to include Siliguri and Dooars,” Bhattacharjee said. MORE...