GTA members to adopt resolution for release of sabhasads, GJM leaders

With the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration meeting to elect the new chief executive scheduled on Wednesday, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung today hinted at participation, but with the main agenda of taking a resolution for the release of the arrested sabhasads and party leaders.

Briefing media persons at the party office in Singamari this afternoon, Gurung said, “We are thinking of sending GTA members for tomorrow’s meeting, but not to participate in the election process to choose the new chief executive. Our ‘sabhasads’ will attend the meeting to adopt a resolution for the release of arrested party leaders.”

Since July 29, the police have arrested more than 800 GJM activists and leaders including 10 GTA members.

Gurung resigned from the GTA chief executive’s post in July following the central government’s approval of a Telangana state and embarked on a fresh movement for a separate Gorkhaland state.

In response, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had the state police arrest the GJM leaders and activists who are presently languishing in various correctional homes.

Although Banerjee urged the GJM to attend the GTA meeting on September 4, the latter is adamant, saying all those arrested must be released unconditionally first.

“I have come to know the CM wants to appoint the GTA principal secretary as the new chief executive. But as per the GTA act, it is not legally possible,” Gurung pointed out.

The sabhasads have not resigned from the GTA to deter the state government from having its way in forming a new board although Gurung has quit, with the party saying it is waiting for the appropriate time.

Meanwhile, responding to the chief minister’s assertion the state would not be divided and the state government would extend all possible support to develop the region, the GJM president said, “Our struggle is not for development but for identity. We can always develop the hills after a Gorkhaland state is achieved. As for the CM saying Bengal will not be curved, well… in the first place, Darjeeling was never a part of Bengal.”

Gurung also said the party think tank would sit for a meeting to take a decision on what proposal the central government would make.

Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today met a delegation of former and present MPs and MLAs from the hills and urged them to end the ongoing agitation. “I have been informed by the delegation about the union home minister urging us to end the strike to facilitate a tripartite dialogue. We will definitely give it a thought,” Gurung said.

The GJM chief also took a dig at the Lepcha programme held today in Kalimpong to honour Banerjee for setting up the Lepcha Development Board (LDB) by asking the Lepcha people not to change colours.

“The programme seemed more like the CM felicitating the Lepchas and not the other way round. The colour code for the ‘pandal’ was blue and white. But as far as I know, maroon is the symbolic Lepcha colour,” said Gurung, while alleging the participants at the Kalimpong programme were mostly Lepchas from Sikkim, Jaigaon and Bhutan as well as police personnel dressed as civilians.

Asking the Lepchas not to fall into the divisive trap of the state government, the GJM chief said, “You (Lepchas) agitated in September 2012 but it was only in January 29 this year that the CM announced the LDB. She then chose to sit on the issue as I made peace to usher in development. However, when we revived our demand, she rushed her officials from Kolkata and formalised the Lepcha board.”

“The Lepcha community had planned the felicitation programme in Siliguri, but the CM had it shifted to Kalimpong. Does this not mean that the state government is using the Lepcha issue as a pawn to curb the legitimate demand of the Hills people?” the GJM chief wondered.

In the meantime, the second day of the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee-led ‘ghar bhitra janta’ remained peaceful throughout the day without any untoward incident being reported even as state police and central forces continued with their patrolling of the desolate streets in the hills.(EOIC)

GTA members plan to pass resolution for release of arrested colleagues

Siliguri, 3 September 
While the Chief Minister Miss Mamata Banerjee today stressed on the GJMM electing a new chief executive for the GTA at tomorrow’s scheduled meeting, the GJMM president Mr Bimal Gurung said in Darjeeling that the GTA members who are not behind the bars would participate in the meeting called by the GTA principal secretary, but would not elect the chief.
“They would instead pass a resolution, demanding immediate release of the GTA members and other activists of the party who are now behind bars,” he said, adding that no election would be allowed till the arrested party men are released.
There is however, no possibility of the 11 GTA members, including four executive members, being released in the near future.
They are now lodged in jails being kept under judicial/ jail custody, according to the administrative officials.
It is learnt that the Jalpaiguri correctional home authorities have not yet received any order from the court to release two GTA members, Mr Binay Tamang and Mr KK Dewan. now lodged there.
The inspector general of police, north Bengal, Mr Shashikant Pujari, said: “We have not yet received any communication from state authorities for releasing the GTA members now in jail.”
“The matter is now resting with the court. We would follow the court order,” he added.
Notably, over 800 GJMM supporters, including 11 GTA members, were arrested in connection with the old pending cases after the statehood stir was renewed in July end.
The GTA principal secretary, Mr Ramdas Meena, said: “We have served notices to all the GTA members, including those who are now in jail custody.”
When asked about the agenda of the meeting, he said: “The meeting has been called on a single agenda ~ to elect a new GTA chief.”
When told about what Mr Gurung said, Mr Meena said the GTA members  cannot adopt any resolution on subjects other than the agenda set for the  meeting. “If they do such a thing I would inform the state government,” Mr Meena added.(SNS)