Darjeeling, June 2: The Gorkha
Janmukti Morcha is seeing the tripartite meeting, to be held here
tomorrow, as the last hope to find a way out to lift its ongoing hunger
strike, sources in the party said.
Morcha insiders said if the state
government could give a written assurance on two of its demands — the
withdrawal of cases against the cadres during the Gorkhaland agitation
and a field visit by the fact-verification committee —the party may lift
the indefinite fast. The state government has said nothing on any
written assurance.
The Morcha is
under pressure to break this strike, which began on May 26, as a
continuation of the stalemate after the talks would be seen as a loss of
face for the Morcha. Also, such a situation in the middle of the
tourist season would not be good for business in the area.
Bimal Gurung, the
Morcha chief, himself had said last month during chief minister Mamata
Banerjee’s visit that it would be difficult for the GTA to function
smoothly without the state government’s co-operation. Also, the GTA
Sabha members on hunger strike today said they would not take any
medical help, including the visit of doctors that was being allowed.
Morcha general
secretary Roshan Giri and Darjeeling MLA Trilok Dewan will attend the
review meeting on behalf of the party, while the Bengal government will
be represented by home secretary Basudeb Banerjee. The Centre would be
represented by S. Skandan, additional home secretary (state-Centre
relations) at the meeting to be held at Richmond Hill at 4pm tomorrow.
Fourteen GTA Sabha
members and two councillors of the Mirik municipality have been on an
indefinite hunger strike since May 26, demanding non-interference of the
state government in the working of the GTA, withdrawal of cases against
Morcha activists slapped by the state government during the Morcha’s
Gorkhaland agitation and an end to alleged police atrocities.
The Morcha is also
demanding that the fact-verification committee looking into the
recommendations of Justice (retd) Shyamal Sen committee make a field
visit to the Dooars before preparing its report.
Roshan Giri said the same demands would be raised at tomorrow’s review session.
“We will discuss
the demands for the withdrawal of police cases against our activists,
jobs for GTA youths in the army, paramilitary and police, granting of
tribal status to all Gorkha communities, except the Schedule Caste
community, a field visit by the fact-verification committee and
additional funds to the GTA to put in place the administrative
infrastructure,” said Giri.
“At the last
review meeting in Delhi on December 26, 2012, Basudeb Banerjee had
assured that 150 cases against Morcha activists would be withdrawn
within 10 days. Till date, the government has not kept its word,” he
said.
A senior Morcha
leader said on condition of anonymity: “The leadership is of the opinion
that it cannot just lift the hunger strike without any assurance from
the state government. Many in the party had initially wanted the leaders
to start a relay hunger strike but another section wanted an indefinite
fast.”
The Morcha leader
said the party was under pressure to end the fast. “The Morcha will
strongly argue for the withdrawal of cases and a field visit by the fact
verification committee. A positive assurance on these two demands is
likely to pave way for lifting the hunger strike,” he said.
If anything
positive is decided at the meeting on the two demands, it would be
recorded in the minutes of the meeting. For the Morcha, it seems, that
assurance would prove enough to call off the hunger strike.
The assistant
general secretary of the Morcha, Binay Tamang, who had also been on
fast, said those on the hunger strike had decided not to take medical
assistance. In a text message, he said: “Now we have decided not to take
any medical aid, even doctors’ check up from today…. We will not
tolerate this attitude of WB Gov…now we will prove ourselves (sic).”
The Telegraph
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