Morcha counters Trinamul show - Hill leaders: switch is departure of unwanted

Siliguri, June 12.TT: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today sent two of its MLAs to Panighata to give a boost to its supporters, a day after some middle-ranking party leaders switched to Trinamul.

The Morcha leaders, who addressed the crowd from the same venue where the Trinamul event was held yesterday, tried to dismiss the switch saying that the departure of a few Gorkha workers would not affect the party or the Gorkhaland movement much.

“It would hardly matter if only 200 Gorkhas, who have their own interests, join any other party from the total Gorkha population of 7 lakh in the region,” Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri said at the meeting in Panighata this afternoon. “We are least bothered about such departures as these people were either not related to our party or were expelled from the Morcha.”

“The GNLF leaders who joined Trinamul have a record of switching parties to serve their interests. If Trinamul leaders can retain them, it is fine,” he added.

Around 1,500 people, most of them disgruntled Morcha and GNLF supporters, joined Trinamul yesterday. Four former GNLF councillors were among those who switched loyalty.

The meeting, which started around 2pm and continued till 5.30 in the evening, witnessed the presence of 500-odd supporters. While most of them were local people, some reached Panighata from Mirik and some areas of Kalimpong in vehicles.

The Morcha leaders explained the party’s stand on the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and the reasons for opposing the report submitted by the high-powered Justice Shyamal Sen committee. The panel has recommended that five of the 396 mouzas demanded by the Morcha be added to the GTA.

“We are waiting for the meeting with the chief minister which has been scheduled for June 16. The chief minister has a different feeling for the hills and that is why we are still banking on her,” Chhetri, who is also the Morcha spokesperson, said.

The chief minister had earlier announced that she would meet the Morcha delegation on June 14 but later rescheduled it to the 16th. “We cannot say what she will tell us at the meeting as we are not foretellers. It is up to the chief minister, her cabinet colleagues and the officials to understand our stand, perceive the aspirations of the people and then decide on the mouza issue.”

Reacting to the Morcha meeting, minister Gautam Deb, who is also the core committee chairman of Trinamul in north Bengal, said the expansion of his party’s base in the hills would not affect the relationship with Morcha.

“Trinamul and Morcha are separate political platforms but that does not necessarily mean that we will have to confront each other. There might be differences in agendas and opinions, but that would not affect the relationship we have with each other,” Deb said. “Seeing the new government’s initiatives and the chief minister’s proactive attitude towards the hills, people have started joining our party. This process will continue in the coming days.”

The minister said Trinamul wanted the early formation of the GTA to expedite development in the hills. 

Mamata-GJMM meet deferred, cloud over GTA 

Morcha plans wider agitation if state govt rejects its demand; submits memorandum to Darjeeling DM

statesman news service
DARJEELING, 12 JUNE: The meeting between the chief minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee, and the GJMM leadership scheduled tomorrow in Kolkata has been deferred till 16 June due to Miss Banerjee’s preoccupations in New Delhi over selection of Presidential candidate. However, the GJMM still keeps grappling with the dilemma over the question of participating in the GTA election slated next month in view of the prevailing disappointment among people over the land-inclusion issue. The hardening of the state government’s posture vis-à-vis the GTA election has further deepened the dilemma in the GJMM hierarchy. A senior GJMM leader said there is little likelihood of the state government conceding the GJMM demand for more mouzas from the Terai-Dooars in the GTA territory. “In that case there would be no other option for us but to plunge headlong into a renewed movement demanding Gorkha-Adivasi Pradesh. It is unlikely that my party would climbdown and agree to participate in the election even if the state government agrees to keep the Shymal Sen Committee report in abeyance,” he said.
The party has kept its frontal organisations, particularly, the youth and women wings, ready for a fresh bout of agitation in case Saturday’s meeting with the chief minister fails to yield positive result.
The GJMM affiliates today served memorandums to the Darjeeling district magistrate, venting the Gorkha and Adivasi people’s collective grouse over the high power committee’s submission. It was faxed to the chief minister, the GJMM leaders said. Reiterating their stance on the vexed issue, GJMM general secretary Roshan Giri today said his party would under no circumstances accept the report.
 “We are still hopeful the chief minister would seriously consider our demand for more mouzas to keep the Hills and the adjoining plains peaceful. My party is now looking forward to the 16 June meeting. After the meeting we will sit and discuss the next strategy,” he added.