GJM chief Bimal Gurung said that the agitation that has claimed 11 lives in Darjeeling hills and nearby areas since June 12 will be lifted at 6 am on Wednesday
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Tuesday decided to end its shutdown that began 103 days ago for a separate state of Gorkhaland within West Bengal, after an appeal made by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
GJM chief Bimal Gurung said that the agitation that has claimed 11 lives in Darjeeling hills and nearby areas since June 12 will be lifted at 6 am on Wednesday, after Singh assured that dialogue will be initiated to end the crisis.
"In a democracy, dialogue is the only way out to resolve any problem. Solutions can be found through restraint, mutual dialogue and within the legal ambit," a statement from Singh read. The agitation for the area's majority Nepali-speaking ethnic Gorkha community crippled the region's famed tea and tourism industries and rattled the picturesque hills.
Singh said he has asked the Union Home Secretary to convene a meeting with all stakeholders within a fortnight to discuss all related issues, while appealing to the GJM and Gurung to withdraw the bandh.
Singh had also sought help to create a conducive atmosphere and allow normalcy to return to the area, particularly in view of the festive season.
"Eleven precious lives have been lost so far, seven have been injured and the entire people of Darjeeling hills have suffered a lot since the strike. I have been pained immensely by what has happened in Darjeeling hills," Singh said.
State Tourism Minister Gautam Deb, however, said that the bandh was being lifted because of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's initiative.
The stir began at the height of tourist season after the West Bengal government angered the Gorkhas by announcing plans to make Bengali the third compulsory language, after English and Hindi, in all state schools. What started as an agitation against a change in the school curriculum quickly escalated into a revival of a century-old demand for Gorkhaland.
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