Morcha’s get-ready alert for Darjeeling hills: Miss-deadline attack on state

Darjeeling, Feb. 5: Bimal Gurung today met representatives of all Gorkha Janmukti Morcha organisations and told them to gear up for fresh agitation if the government missed the March 27 deadline to put in place the hill administrative set-up.

Gurung also launched a vitriolic attack on the state government, the first time since the Trinamul Congress came to power. In fact, the Morcha and Trinamul had so far been enjoying a cosy relation with the four Morcha MLAs sitting on the treasury bench in the Assembly.

Setting up the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration before the Morcha deadline is almost an impossibility for the government as the territory issue is yet to be resolved.

In a message to the government, Gurung said: “If you (state government) are thinking of tiring us, we just want to say we will never be tired.” The reference was to the territory committee whose tenure has been extended by another six months by the state government though it was to tentatively submit its report by February this year.

One of the major stumbling blocks in the formation of the GTA is the submission of the report as the Morcha has already declared that it will not accept the new administrative arrangement unless the territory map was firmed up. The party wants the Gorkha-dominated areas of the Dooars and the Terai to be made part of the GTA. The high-powered committee is looking into the Morcha demand and is expected to submit its report.

The fact that the Morcha is increasingly getting frustrated with the overall functioning of the state government could be gauged when Gurung said: “Is the agreement (the memorandum of settlement signed between the state, Centre and the Morcha) of no importance? The government had agreed to form the GTA within six months but now the deadline had been crossed. Moreover, no initiative has been taken to start work under schemes that had been promised in the agreement.”

Gurung even went to the extent of directly blaming the state government for the delay in implementing the GTA. “The government is forcing us to reject the GTA. Let them not force us to burn copies of the GTA agreement.”

The Morcha chief iterated that they would watch the government’s initiative to form the GTA till March 27. “We will see till March 27 but no longer. Our supporters will come to Sukna on April 17 and will decide our next course of action,” said Gurung.

He also had a word of advice for other regional outfits that have started a campaign for the statehood. “We were the ones to demand the release of Chhatrey Subba. He should not wear masks given by other people,” said Gurung.

“Everyone has the right to raise the demand for Gorkhaland but this demand should not be made a begging bowl by other parties.”

He said the activities of other parties should also be monitored by the government as certain “forces” were trying to create a law and order problem in the region.

Source: The Telegraph

GJM reiterates March 27 deadline for GTA

Reiterating the March 27 deadline, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Wednesday proclaimed that if the government fails to form the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) within the above date, the GJM would launch an agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland. West Bengal Governor will be arriving in Darjeeling on February 6.

A GJM Central committee meeting on Wednesday resolved that the GJM would be resurrecting the Gorkhaland agitation if the Government fails to meet the March 27, 2012, deadline. “We will hold a massive rally in Sukna near Siliguri on April 17 from where we will announce the political programmes for Gorkhaland” stated Jyoti Rai, GJM Central Committee member.

The GJM has also decided to observe February 8 as “Black Day” throughout the Hills. On this day in 2011, three GJM supporters had died in police firing at Sibchu bordering Dooars while agitating. West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan will be in Darjeeling on February 6, 7 and 8th. In Darjeeling the Governor is scheduled to attend a Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) programme on 7th and visit Chongtong Tea Garden on the February 8. On the same day he will be leaving for the plains.

Political observers however feel that the Governor’s sudden winter visit to the Darjeeling Hills could be in connection with the GTA. In Darjeeling he would definitely study the political environment and hold parleys with the GJM which could revolve around the GTA issue, opined political observers.

Since October 2007, the Darjeeling Hills have been a witness to a separate state agitation led by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM.) Several rounds of tripartite talks between the Centre, State and the GJM finally paved way for the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on July 18, 2011, between the Centre, State and the GJM  for the formation of an autonomous body named the GTA.

The MOA led to the passing of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Bill 2011 in the West Bengal Assembly on September 2, 2011. However with the territory issue (area to be incorporated in the GTA) remaining a bone of contention, the GTA has not seen the light of day yet.

Along with the three hill subdivision of the Darjeeling district namely Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, the GJM has demanded the inclusion of 199 “Gorkha dominated” mouzas of Terai and another 199 mouzas of Dooars of the Jalpaiguri district in the GTA.

A joint committee has been formed constituting of members representing the Union, State and the GJM to look into the territory issue. After the expiry of the 6 month term of the committee on January 27, 2012, the Government has further extended the term by another 6 months.

Source: Hindustan Times