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Pro Gorkhaland forces moot change in agitation strategy

By Amitava
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Google Oneindia News

Darjeeling: The Union Government's declaration in Parliament that there is no proposal to constitute a committee to look into the separate state demand of the Gorkhas and others agitating in Darjeeling, has emerged as a major setback for the pro Gorkhaland forces.

Pro Gorkhaland forces moot change in agitation strategy

The agitators have been banking heavily on the BJP led NDA Government to resolve the ongoing impasse displaying a pro-Gorkhaland stance.

"There is no proposal to appoint a committee to look into the merits and demerits of the demands of the Gorkhas, Adivasis and others," Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said in a written reply to a question in the Lower House of Parliament.

Coupled with this Union Home Rajnath Singh assured West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of "full cooperation. " During the 20 minute long meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, Singh asked Banerjee to take all necessary steps to restore normalcy in Darjeeling.

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Incidentally the Hills of North Bengal are on the boil with the demand of Gorkhaland being resurrected. An agitation is underway with an indefinite bandh clamped in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills since June 15. There have been regular incidents of violence, arson and vandalizing.

The pro Gorkhaland forces have come together for a unified movement under the aegis of Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC,) a conglomeration of 13 political and apolitical organizations.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) spearheading the agitation have closed their doors to the West Bengal Government. Along with the GMCC, the GJM- also a constituent party of the GMCC have been pinning their hopes on the Centre for an intervention and a pro-Gorkhaland stance.

The GJM however feels that the Delhi developments are not "disheartening. " Swaraj Thapa, a GJM think tank, presently camping in Delhi explained "The Union government says it does not have any proposal to set up a committee to look into the Gorkhaland demand as the Government is yet to set up a committee. The day any committee is set up, only then will the government will state in a Parliament question that a committee has been set up. Therefore there is no cause for either getting disheartened or dejected. "

The other constituents of the GMCC think otherwise. With this development the agitators have been caught in a sticky wicket, not finding a way to lift the ongoing bandh that hit the 42 day mark on Wednesday.

"It is very unfortunate. The GJM has been constantly claiming that the BJP is pro Gorkhaland. We were all pinning our hopes on the BJP . The BJP should change its stance and view the agitation from a different perspective. They should immediately initiate dialogues. They have sent a wrong signal by stating this in Parliament. The stand of the West Bengal Government has been clear- they have been stating that they are against Gorkhaland. However the BJP earlier was sympathetic to the demand but now in indulging in vote bank politics. The silence says it all" stated Neeraj Zimba a GMCC leader from the Gorkha National Liberation Front party.

The GMCC is set to meet in Delhi on August 1. "The ongoing indefinite bandh will continue. There is no reason to lift it. If we lift the bandh without any positive development on the Gorkhaland front it will be the sheer betrayal of the 8 martyrs who lost their lives in police firing; thousands of tea garden workers who have sacrificed their wages for more than a month; the students who have sacrifices their education and the residents who have borne immense hardships for Gorkhaland" added Zimba.

Jan Andolan Party (JAP- a constituent of the GMCC) feels there is need for a change in strategy. "We need to chalk out a new strategy that will make the movement sustainable as well as make the Government agree to the constitutional and legitimate demand of Gorkhaland. The GMCC has to seriously ponder over this. If Tuesday's statement is the official position of the BJP then there is lots to worry. It clearly shows that they are not keen on Gorkhaland " stated Dr. Harka Bahadur Chettri, President, JAP.

He stated that BJP is clearly showing an indifference to the movement. "What has happened to their promise in the election manifestoes and the promise made by PM Modi? Earlier they had even assured to form a committee to look into the Gorkhaland demand" stated Chettri.

In April 2016 Prime Minister Modi on an election campaign in North Bengal had stated the "Gorkhas dream is my dream. " During the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections the BJP heavy weight candidates Jaswand Singh and SS Ahluwalia backed by the GJM and riding piggy back on the Gorkhaland demand had won from the Darjeeling parliamentary constituency.

During both these elections, the BJP manifestoes had stated that the party would sympathetically examine the long pending demand of the Gorkhas. Though shying away from the word "Gorkhaland" both Modi's statement and the statement in the election manifestoes were interpreted as the saffron camp's support to the Gorkhaland demand.

In another development Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling also knocked on the doors of PM Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday.

A press release from Chamling stated " I apprised the Prime Minister of the latest situation in Sikkim due to the agitations in the Darjeeling Hills, continuing for about 2 months now, resulting in shortage of essential food and other commodities, compounded further by landslides, heavy rainfall, hardships, risk to life and property of the people of Sikkim, in their movement on National Highway 10.

I requested the Hon'ble Prime Minister that the Central Forces be deployed at New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri and other crucial points upto Rangpo, to give protection to life and property and food commodities meant for the people of Sikkim. I emphasized the fact that unless the problem of the Darjeeling Hills is addressed and permanent solution is provided by the Central Government, the problems of the people of Sikkim would continue. "

In Ghoom, 8 km from Darjeeling town agitators torched cell phones on Wednesday as a symbollic mark of protest against the ongoing clampdown on internet services in Hills. The district administration had ordered the discontinuation of internet services since June 15.

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