Gorkhas demand tabling of Gorkhaland Bill in Parliament

Silliguri, Dec 30 (ANI): The Gorkha community has demanded the tabling of the Gorkhaland Bill in the next session of Parliament.

The students' wing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) or Gorkha People's Liberation Movement has been staged blocking roads since Sunday over this demand.

"Our demand is very simple. We want the Bill to be placed in the Parliament and UPA along with UPA ministry should follow the two-third majority and our bill should be placed in the Parliament and our bill should be discussed likewise, the Telangana government process has been functioning by the Home Ministry. In that manner, the government should look at our agitation very seriously," said Kamalesh Rai, member, central committee of students' wing of GJM.

A relay hunger strike began on December 26 is also underway in different sub-divisions of the Darjeeling hills.

The womens cell of the GJM started their hunger strike on Monday.

Gorkhas have been demanding a separate state, to be carved out of West Bengal, to protect their culture and heritage.

The demand for Gorkhaland gained momentum after New Delhi announced that it would initiate the process for a new state of Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh.

The Gorkha population in West Bengal is estimated to be around a million. (ANI)