GJM renews demand for Gorkhaland
Gorkhas say will launch agitation for separate state in Feb; to hold mass meetings in Darjeeling, Kurseong this month.Kolkata: Days ahead of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s proposed visit to the hill district of Darjeeling, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, or GJM, has revived its demand for a separate state for the Gorkha community.
“We will start a decisive agitation for Gorkhaland in February,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said at a press conference in Darjeeling on Wednesday, launching the Gorkhas on the warpath again.
To mobilize support for the agitation, the GJM will hold two mass meetings in the hill towns of Darjeeling and Kurseong on 20 and 27 January, respectively.
Several times in the past, the GJM has held the hill district to ransom over its demand for a separate state, and the biggest victim of its agitation was the tourism industry. Darjeeling is a prominent tourist destination in West Bengal.
The Gorkhas might have got greater administrative and financial autonomy, but the GJM is not budging from its demand for a separate state for the community, Giri said. “If Telengana can be created, why not Gorkhaland?” he said.
The course of the GJM’s “democratic movement” will be determined after watching the government’s response to the party’s renewed demand for a separate state, Giri said.
Within months of seizing power in May 2011, Banerjee tried to end the stand-off between the state administration and the Gorkhas by creating an autonomous administrative body with elected members—the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
She has always viewed the formation of GTA as one of her early successes, referring to it often in her public speeches even recently, but it now appears she couldn’t fulfil the expectations of the Gorkha community. GTA was a stepping stone towards the formation of a separate state, said GJM president Bimal Gurung, but the formation of Gorkhaland is the party’s “only objective”.
Even while GTA was formed, the state did not give in to the GJM’s demand for inclusion in its territorial jurisdiction substantial parts of the Dooars and Terai regions of West Bengal, fearing a backlash from the local tribals.
The GJM grudgingly agreed to the formation of GTA in 2011, but was never happy with what it achieved for the community, said a government official, asking not to be named.
Only five mouzas, or administrative blocks, from the Dooars and Terai regions were included in the GTA, whereas the Gorkhas had asked for 398.
Giri said on Wednesday that not only was the territorial jurisdiction of GTA largely restricted to Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, only 29 of 59 state departments were transferred to the administrative body.
Dismissing the GJM’s deadline for transfer of all the departments to GTA by December, home secretary Basudeb Banerjee said after a recent tour of Darjeeling that it would not be possible to transfer all the departments before 2015.
Source: livemint
Gorkha Janamukti Morcha threatens to launch movement in Darjeeling again for statehood
KOLKATA: The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) has threatened to launch a fresh movement in the Darjeeling Hills to realise their demand for a separate state for the Gorkhas.
GJM leader Roshan Giri told reporters on Wednesday that they will organise a meeting at Darjeeling on January 20 and at Kurseong on January 27 as their preparation for launching the fresh agitation for getting the statehood for the Gorkhas.
"We will launch the fresh movement from February and before that we will hold two meetings at Darjeeling and Kurseong. Our demand for a separate state for the Gorkhas is much older that the demand for a separate Telengana state and once the Centre accepts the Telengana statehood demand, they should grant our demand too," Giri said.
The GJM leader also pointed it out that they had informed the Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde about their decision to go for a fresh movement in the Hills for obtaining the statehood demand.
Asked whether they had informed the chief minister Mamata Banerjee about their agitation programme, Giri said "No. If necessary we will inform the chief minister too about our agitation and movement for getting the statehood." Giri also claimed that the issue of a separate state for the Gorkhas was there in the tripartite agreement among the Centre, the state government and the GJM.
"We had clearly mentioned in the agreement that we want a separate state and both the Centre and West Bengal government are aware of this," he claimed.
Interstingly Mamata Banerjee will visit Darjeeling and North Bengal for four days from January 28 and it is expected that the GJM leadership will meet her in the Hills during her visit and convey their decision to go for a fresh movement. ends
GJM leader Roshan Giri told reporters on Wednesday that they will organise a meeting at Darjeeling on January 20 and at Kurseong on January 27 as their preparation for launching the fresh agitation for getting the statehood for the Gorkhas.
"We will launch the fresh movement from February and before that we will hold two meetings at Darjeeling and Kurseong. Our demand for a separate state for the Gorkhas is much older that the demand for a separate Telengana state and once the Centre accepts the Telengana statehood demand, they should grant our demand too," Giri said.
The GJM leader also pointed it out that they had informed the Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde about their decision to go for a fresh movement in the Hills for obtaining the statehood demand.
Asked whether they had informed the chief minister Mamata Banerjee about their agitation programme, Giri said "No. If necessary we will inform the chief minister too about our agitation and movement for getting the statehood." Giri also claimed that the issue of a separate state for the Gorkhas was there in the tripartite agreement among the Centre, the state government and the GJM.
"We had clearly mentioned in the agreement that we want a separate state and both the Centre and West Bengal government are aware of this," he claimed.
Interstingly Mamata Banerjee will visit Darjeeling and North Bengal for four days from January 28 and it is expected that the GJM leadership will meet her in the Hills during her visit and convey their decision to go for a fresh movement. ends
Source: economictimes.indiatimes
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to restart movement for separate statehood
Darjeeling: Observing that "time had come for the final battle", the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) said it would restart the movement for a separate Gorkhaland state.
"From GJM we want to make it clear that the time has come for Gorkhaland. We will move ahead with our movement for Gorkhaland. Time has come for us to restart our movement," party general secretary Roshan Giri told mediapersons.
"From GJM we want to make it clear that the time has come for Gorkhaland. We will move ahead with our movement for Gorkhaland. Time has come for us to restart our movement," party general secretary Roshan Giri told mediapersons.
"This is our final battle and the time has come for us to come on the front," said Mr Giri.
The GJM has planned a rally and public meeting in Darjeeling (January 20) and Kurseong (January 27) during which it will announce its future course of action regarding the movement.
The GJM's threat to revive the Gorkhaland agitation comes in the wake of union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's remarks after the December 28 all-party meeting in Delhi that a decision on carving out a new state of Telangana would be made within a month.
"We had told Mr Shinde that he should consider the country's oldest demand - Gorkhaland. We welcome the way the centre is going to create Telangana but the demand of Gorkhaland should also be considered," said Mr Giri.
The agitation over a separate state out of the northern West Bengal hills has led to loss of many lives over the past two decades, besides hitting hard the region's tea, timber and tourism sectors.
On July 18 last year, a tripartite agreement was signed between the GJM, and the state and central governments for setting up a new autonomous, elected Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a hill council armed with more powers than its predecessor, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council formed in the late 1980s.
The GJM now runs the GTA after sweeping its maiden elections last July.
The tough stance of the GJM, ahead of chief minister Mamata Banerjee's proposed visit to Darjeeling January 29, is also related to its "unhappiness" over the slow pace of transferring powers to the GTA.
"Except the name of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, what else have we got" Mr Giri said.
The GJM's threat to revive the Gorkhaland agitation comes in the wake of union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's remarks after the December 28 all-party meeting in Delhi that a decision on carving out a new state of Telangana would be made within a month.
"We had told Mr Shinde that he should consider the country's oldest demand - Gorkhaland. We welcome the way the centre is going to create Telangana but the demand of Gorkhaland should also be considered," said Mr Giri.
The agitation over a separate state out of the northern West Bengal hills has led to loss of many lives over the past two decades, besides hitting hard the region's tea, timber and tourism sectors.
On July 18 last year, a tripartite agreement was signed between the GJM, and the state and central governments for setting up a new autonomous, elected Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a hill council armed with more powers than its predecessor, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council formed in the late 1980s.
The GJM now runs the GTA after sweeping its maiden elections last July.
The tough stance of the GJM, ahead of chief minister Mamata Banerjee's proposed visit to Darjeeling January 29, is also related to its "unhappiness" over the slow pace of transferring powers to the GTA.
"Except the name of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, what else have we got" Mr Giri said.
Source:ndtv.com
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