Party consensus before Gorkhaland speak: Jaswant Singh

Darjeeling, April 10: Jaswant Singh today sounded a word of caution on the demand for Gorkhaland, saying that his party, the BJP, would “examine” it before making a firm commitment.

The people of the Darjeeling hills are riding high on the expectation that if Singh becomes an MP, and the BJP comes to power in Delhi, their demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland would turn into reality “in the near future”.

However, at a news conference here this afternoon, Singh, who has been fielded for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, said: “Gorkhaland as a demand has appeared on the BJP’s agenda only now. We cannot just jump into the pool. We will examine the issue as all responsible political parties should do and will do it with a sense of urgency.” MORE...