Party spokesperson says all political parties have decided to scrap Gorkha Territorial Administration
After an all-party meeting convened by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Tuesday in Darjeeling, all the 14 political and non-political hill-based parties have unanimously decided to unite on the issue of a separate Gorkhaland and sever their ties with the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA).
After the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, GJM spokesperson P Aryun said that they had unanimously decided to uphold the demand for Gorkhaland and that they would take the movement till its logical end.
Reading out the resolutions taken in the meeting he said, "All the political parties have univocally decided that the GTA will be scrapped by the GJM without further loss of time. An all-party delegation went to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the President."
Referring to the end of the bandh he said, "If the state and the Centre want peace and want the strike to be withdrawn, first and foremost they must stop police atrocities, human rights violation, random arrest and stop shooting people."
He added that the state government must reconsider their stand on the Bengali language and that there must be a withdrawal of the blockade of internet services which was a violation of human rights and freedom of expression.
It had also been decided in the meeting that an All India Core Committee would be formed which would deliberate on the roadmap of the movement.
Echoing similar emotions, Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) spokesman, Neeraj Zimba said that the hill-based organisations would unitedly fight for Gorkhaland. "There are no different political parties in this. We are a core front," he said.
Munish Tamang, a DU professor who was present at the meeting said that the onus of normalising the situation lied with the state. "The tension was created by the state and now they will have to find a way to end it," he said.
Jan Andolan Party (JAP) representative Tashi Tshering Sherpa said that he had also proposed that flags of all the 14 political and non-political organisations should be carried while the delegation met Central leaders.
In the meeting it had also been decided to boycott the all-party meeting called by the state on June 22. "What is the point in attending the all-party meet convened by the state which is putting up an all-party meeting on one hand and on the other sending troops to the hills to silent voices of dissent?" he said.
The Left Front too had said that it would keep away from the meeting. "It will be meaningless. The Chief Minister herself is out of the country and would not be in the meeting," said Jibesh Sarkar, Darjeeling Left Front Convenor.
In another development, according to officials at Nabanna, the state secretariat, the state has submitted a report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs about the situation at the hills. Sources also said that only one death of a protester has been mentioned in the report. It was found out that the state had once again demanded for an additional eight companies of forces.
ELSEWHERE
- According to officials at Nabanna, the state secretariat, the state has submitted a report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs about the situation at the hills.
- Sources also said that only one death of a protester has been mentioned in the report.
- It was found that the state had again demanded for an additional eight companies of forces. At present six companies of central forces are deployed at the hills.
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