GNLF mulling challenging Darjeeling tripartite accord in court

Darjeeling, Aug 9 (PTI) The Gorkha National Liberation Force headed by Subhas Ghising is thinking of challenging the tripartite agreement on Darjeeling for setting up the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, in court, a GNLF leader said today."The former DGHC administrator Mr Ghising has already signed a Memorandum of settlement on December 6, 2005 on the Sixth Schedule for the Darjeeling hills," GNLF leader and a central committee member of GNLF B B Pradhan told reporters in Kurseong."The GTA will not stand judicial scrutiny because it cannot be enforced as long as the agreement remains in force," Pradhan said.He claimed that preparations were also being made to revive the party in the hills in September, after Ghising was driven out from Darjeeling by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on July 26, 2008 and the recent debacle of the party in the recent assembly where it failed to win even a single seat."It is the only way to provide the people a political platform to express their grievances over the recently signed GTA agreement," Pradhan said."The party leadership had instructed us to keep a low profile, but that is ending, as the people need a strong platform to protest the stark betrayal of the Gorkhaland cause inherent in the GTA agreement. The people have understood that it is nothing, but rhetorical bluster," he said. GJM leaders, however, ridiculed the GNLF move to rejuvenated itself in the hills."They are a spent force as the people have given a clear mandate to us. We have not dropped the Gorkhaland cause which Ghising did while signing the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council agreement in 1988," a senior GJM leader said here. PTI COR PC