State tourism minister Gautam Deb said the GJM has to officially lift the bandh before any talks with the state can be initiated
After the meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh failed to bear desired results and with increasing pressure from within the party as well as other parties in the hills, members of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) find themselves on the backfoot.
In a statement issued on Monday, Morcha leaders made a request to both the Central and state government.
"The responsibility of ensuring peace in Darjeeling hills, Tarai and Dooars is not only that of the people who live here, but also that of the Central Government and the Government of West Bengal. We therefore request the governments to initiate talks at the earliest so that peace and normalcy can be restored in our region at the earliest', read the statement released by Binoy Tamang, joint secretary of GJM's Central Committee.
The statement said that demand for a separate Gorkhaland had been there since 1907, yet it had gone unfulfilled and that is why Gorkhas living across India had unitedly been demanding Gorkhaland for over two months.
"This movement was non-violent even in the past and this movement is non-violent today, and it will continue to remain democratic, non-violent and peaceful in the days to come. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha unequivocally condemns any and all forms of violence. We are equally worried at the acts of arson and violence that have taken place in these past 65 days in Darjeeling hills, Tarai and Dooars, and condemn such acts that are perpetrated to destroy peace in our region," it said.
State tourism minister Gautam Deb said the GJM has to officially lift the bandh before any talks with the state can be initiated.
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