GJM ally BJP mulls an alternative arrangement for the Darjeeling Hills

Darjeeling, June 23: While Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Chief Bimal Gurung has shut doors to the West Bengal Government and is banking on the Centre for the creation of a separate state, the BJP made it's stand clear that it does not support the creation of a separate state but a different model can be worked out through the process of dialogue.

Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP national general secretary and observer for West Bengal, stated "We do not support the separate state demand. However India is a land of diversity. The Gorkhas have every right to demand for an arrangement to preserve their culture and tradition. In a border state internal security is very important. A different model can be worked out. For that the process of dialogue should be initiated."

Interestingly in 2009 and 2014 the BJP candidates had won from the Darjeeling Parliamentary constituency backed by the GJM, riding piggyback on the Gorkhaland demand. During both the elections addendums in the BJP election manifestos had stated that the party would sympathetically consider the long pending demands of the Gorkhas.

Regarding the ongoing unrest the BJP General Secretary blamed the Mamata Banerjee led State Government. "The powers and functions of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration were not transferred by the State. This led to the mistrust of the Gorkhas on the State Government resulting in the unrest" alleged Vijayvargiya.

Meanwhile in Darjeeling Bimal Gurung along with other GJM elected and nominated members tendered resignations en masse from the GTA on Friday. The 5 year tenure of the GTA ends on June 30th. The GJM will be burning the GTA Accord as a symbolic protest on June 27 in the Hills.

In a press conference, Gurung stated that the ongoing agitation would be further beefed up with rallies, dharnas and fast unto death with the one point demand of Gorkhaland. "We have resigned from the GTA. There is no looking back now. The bandh will not be lifted. The agitation will be further intensified" warned Gurung.

Gurung stated that there will be no relaxation in the ongoing indefinite bandh that was clamped by the GJM in the Darjeeling Hills since June 15. When questioned on the fate of the festival of Eid, which is just round the corner, Gurung stated "Festivals will come. People are not in the mood for festivals. We are in the midst of an agitation."
Gurung has also called an all party meeting with pro Gorkhaland forces in Darjeeling on June 29to chalk out future programmes for a collective movement for Gorkhaland.

Meanwhile locals demonstrated in front of the Sikkim National Transport depot in Siliguri in North Bengal and blocked the National Highway10, the link road to the Sikkim capital Gangtok from the plains of Siliguri. This comes on the heels of Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling writing a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in support of Gorkhaland.

Partha Chatterjee, Minister of Education, Government of West Bengal also rushed a letter to the Union Home Minister, complaining that Sikkim is interfering in the internal matters of West Bengal. "What CM Pawan Chamling has done is against the federal structure of the country" stated the letter.

Chatterjee reiterated the State Government's request for 8 more companies of Central forces. The Centre had earlier negated the request citing that Central intelligence reports point out that additional Central force will further aggravate the situation in the Hills.

OneIndia News