Dashmunsi appeals for all-party meeting to solve D'jeeling issue

Kolkata, Jun 11 (UNI) Labelling the Darjeeling issue as ''serious and complex,'' Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi today urged Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to convene an all party meeting to resolve the matter.

Addressing mediapersons after an emergency party meeting here, the I&B Minister said the chief minister should convene all parties to defuse the situation in Darjeeling before the commencement of the next session of the state Assembly, scheduled to begin on July one.

Mr Dasmunsi informed that he had already discussed the issue with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and would apprise Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil tomorrow of the ''complexity'' of the situation in Darjeeling.

'' Congress cannot and will not support the demand of Gorkhaland and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) should withdraw it's indefinite strike in the hills and come to the negotiation table to sort out the issue,'' Mr Dasmunsi observed.

Holding the state government responsible for the deteriorating situation in Darjeeling, he alleged that besides Gorkhaland, all sessionists movements like Kamtapuri, Greater Coochbehar and others erupted during the Left Front regime, but the government never took the Opposition into confidence to resolve the issues.

Mr Dasmunsi observed that though his party wanted to maintain its status of Opposition in West Bengal, it would not allow any sessionist activities within the state's constitutional framework.

He also alleged that some ministers of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government were adopting a ''narrow political design'' which was making the situation in the hills more complex.

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