"The date is yet to be finalised," said chief secretary Samar Ghosh. Asked about the issues that seem to have hit a block, Ghosh said, "The Centre is very keen about signing the agreement. There are two or three minor issues that it has pointed out. Most of these have been agreed upon. We are trying to sort them out with the GJM."
GJM president Bimal Gurung is also not in haste. He called the party's central committee meeting on Thursday to scrutinise the draft and respond to the government's bargain without losing the party's stance on the territory question. The GJM is also trying to assess the impact of its signing the deal when some its political rivals in the Hills didn't turn up at Deolo on July 8, despite Gurung's invite to discuss the draft.
The bargain now is mostly over territory. For the last two decades since the first tripartite deal was signed in July 1988, the Gorkha outfits have progressed from Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council to the proposed GTA, which is indeed a step towards Gorkhaland state. But the rival outfits see in it nothing more than the name. The pressure is thus on the GJM to make the governments expand the jurisdiction of the GTA by including the Gorkha-dominated areas adjoining the hill subdivision.
This is possibly where the Centre wants to tread with caution. For the demand for inclusion of the mouzas in the Terai and the Dooars may trigger a clash that will have a far reaching impact on the geo-political scene at this strategic location.
The issue is likely to come up when Mamata Banerjee visits Darjeeling on July 18 and 19 for a meeting with the GJM. Her visit is to seal the memorandum of agreement that will be sent to the central government for its approval for the formation of GTA.
The bargain now is mostly over territory. For the last two decades since the first tripartite deal was signed in July 1988, the Gorkha outfits have progressed from Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council to the proposed GTA, which is indeed a step towards Gorkhaland state. But the rival outfits see in it nothing more than the name. The pressure is thus on the GJM to make the governments expand the jurisdiction of the GTA by including the Gorkha-dominated areas adjoining the hill subdivision.
This is possibly where the Centre wants to tread with caution. For the demand for inclusion of the mouzas in the Terai and the Dooars may trigger a clash that will have a far reaching impact on the geo-political scene at this strategic location.
The issue is likely to come up when Mamata Banerjee visits Darjeeling on July 18 and 19 for a meeting with the GJM. Her visit is to seal the memorandum of agreement that will be sent to the central government for its approval for the formation of GTA.
Post a Comment
We love to hear from you! What's on your mind?