Meeting fails to elect new GTA chief executive,Most Morcha members stay away

The meeting today to elect a new chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, which has been lying vacant for over a month, failed to yield any result due to sabhasads abstaining from attending the congregation.

The meeting at the Gorkha Ranga Manch in Darjeeling that started at midday was attended only by the GTA Sabha chairman and his deputy. The GTA principal secretary was also present. The 45 sabhasads, all from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, remained absent for the duration of the meeting that lasted for more than an hour.

The move to elect a new incumbent failed because the mandatory 1/3rd quorum required was lacking.

“We had sent letters to all GTA elected members to attend today’s meeting. But we could not elect the new chief executive because only two of the sabhasads attended the meeting,” informed GTA Sabha chairman Bhupendra Pradhan and deputy chairman Lobsang Yolmo in a press brief.

Pradhan however, said sabhasads PT Ola and Trilok Chandra Roka were present at the meeting to submit a petition. “The two GTA members came and submitted an appeal for the unconditional release of all arrested GJM leaders and activists including the 10 sabhasads. The petition also states the elected members would not attend any GTA Sabha meetings in future till the arrested are released,” said Pradhan. The petition was signed by 29 sabhasads in all.

The police have arrested 1,025 GJM activists and leaders since July 29, with the latest detention of two persons taking place in Latpanchar on Tuesday.

GJM chief Bimal Gurung had demanded for the unconditional release of all GTA members and GJM leaders as a precondition to attend today’s meeting. In response, the state government had asked the GJM to attend the meeting first. On Tuesday, the GJM president said the elected members would attend the GTA meeting, but with the sole intention of adopting a resolution for the release of those arrested.

Sources have said the 29 elected GTA members signed the petition at the GJM party office in Patlebas this morning, while maintaining that a new chief executive could have been elected from among the 10 arrested sabhasads, and therefore, it did not make sense for the remaining members to attend the meeting.

GTA principal secretary RD Meena, the fifth person to attend the meeting today, said the election process could not be completed given the absence of the GTA members.

“The main agenda today was the election of a new GTA chief executive However, we could not complete the process as the elected members abstained from the meeting,” he said.

Meena also acknowledged about receiving a petition signed by the 29 elected members seeking the release of the arrested people. “I have received the petition and will forward it to the state government for its action,” he said as he stressed he was in no position to comment on the future of the GTA.(EOI)

GTA chief election falls flat Most Morcha members stay away
 

Darjeeling, Sept. 4: The GTA Sabha meeting to elect the new chief executive did not happen today in the absence of quorum as most of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha members did not turn up.

The failure to elect a GTA chief may give the state government the opportunity to appoint an administrator to run the autonomous hill council, that may prove to be a problem for the hill party.

However, if the government dissolves the GTA Sabha, it would in a way show the set-up has been a failure, which the Morcha wants to prove somehow.

A large section of Morcha leaders is of the opinion that the GTA is coming in the way of the statehood agitation.

Of the 45 elected GTA members, only its chairman, Bhupendra Pradhan and his deputy Lopshang Yolmo went to meet GTA principal secretary R.D. Meena today.

Meena had called a meeting with a single-point agenda of electing the next GTA chief executive following Bimal Gurung’s resignation on July 30.

No decision of the Sabha can be taken unless there are at least 15 members — one-third of the 45 members are required for quorum.

Pradhan said: “The meeting was called and I along with Lopshang Yolmo, deputy chairman of the Sabha, were present along with the principal secretary of the GTA, R.D. Meena. Later, two elected members, P.T. Ola and Trilok Chand Roka, came and handed me a petition signed by 29 elected members that election for the new chief executive cannot be held unless the 10 elected GTA Sabha members are released along with others.”

Over 1,000 Morcha leaders and supporters have been taken into custody since the fresh statehood agitation began on July 29.

Gurung was not a signatory to the petition because he has already quit the Sabha.

Pradhan refused to show the petition to the media.

He said: “They (the GTA members) are of the opinion that a new chief executive could also have been elected from the 10 arrested GTA Sabha members and hence it is not possible to hold the meeting now.”

Meena said: “The chairman has handed me a resolution of the petition submitted by the GTA members and I will forward it to the state government.”

Other than Gurung, no other member of the Morcha has quit the GTA.

Unless the Sabha had been given an opportunity to elect a new chief executive following Gurung’s resignation, the government’s decision to push for its own candidate could have been challenged, even legally.

Sources in the administration said the state government could either nominate a member for a certain period under Section 37, sub-section 8, of the GTA Act or dissolve the Sabha and appoint a board of administrators under Section 64 of the act.

Section 37, sub-section 8 states that if the election of the chief executive is “pending”, the government “may appoint by name one of the Members to be the Chief Executive who shall hold office as Chief Executive” until somebody is “elected in accordance with the provisions of the Act…”.

Since the act says “one of the Members”, Morcha sources said the state government may appoint one of its nominated members. Trinamul has three nominated members among the five.

“However, a nominated person can hold office for only 15 days,” said an administrative source.

Observers believe that the government can also use Section 64 to dissolve the GTA on the ground that it has “shown its incompetence to perform, or has made default in its performance” or had “abused its power”.

However, the government has to direct that the Sabha be reconstituted within a period “not exceeding six months”.

Morcha sources said the party leaders were aware of all the provisions. “If they dissolve the GTA ultimately, it will be proved that the experiment is a failure. Let us see what the government has to say now. We are demanding the release of 10 elected GTA members and others arrested in the agitation to elect a new chief as of now,” said a Morcha leader.

Before dissolving the GTA, the government has to, however, give “the GTA an opportunity of making representation to the Government in respect of the same”.

The Sabha can be dissolved by an order in the Official Gazette stating the reasons.(The Telegraph)