GJYM to kick-off Gorkhaland awareness meetings, GJM leaves for Delhi to meet HM

With talks on the Telengana issue in the national capital not only picking momentum but reportedly in their final stages, the youth front of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to appeal to the party leadership to come forward and restart the demand for statehood that presently appears to have been relegated to the background.
Speaking today to the media in Darjeeling after an emergency meeting, Gorkha Janmukti Yuwa Morcha general secretary Priyabardhan Rai said, “We will not let go of our rightful demand for a separate state. In fact, in a couple of days we will approach party president Bimal Gurung to urge him to start afresh the Gorkhaland movement.”
The youth front of the GJM on Thursday organised a rally and public meeting at various places across the Hills that coincided with the second anniversary of the formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a body which the youth believe is incapable of fulfilling the aspirations of the Hills people.
To ensure mass participation, the GJYM has decided to create awareness among the people here about the Gorkhaland state demand and its importance. “We have formed four groups that will work in Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik to reach out to people and make them conscious about the statehood demand,” said Rai.
As a precursor to restarting the statehood movement, the youth front will hold a series of public meetings in the entire Hills beginning with Kurseong subdivision on July 23. “We are chalking out our programme that has already been kicked-off. The first of the series of public meetings will be held in Kurseong and that will be followed by several other meets across various areas of the Hills,” said the GJYM general secretary.
In order to give the proposed movement a stronger impact, the youth front has decided to first make a strong foundation by roping in the youth brigade. “For any movement to sustain, the youth plays a significant role. With this in mind, we will work in tandem with the youth front and student wing of the GJM to give the statehood demand the right impetus. We also request the fairer sex to join us,” Rai pointed out.
Besides the political venture, the GJYM today decided to embark
on the social front to ensure a stable and peaceful society. “We don’t want to limit our activities to politics. We too have a responsibility towards society and hence will take up social causes that need to be addressed immediately,” Rai said, adding the menace of human trafficking and use of banned substances that are on the rise would be dealt on a priority basis.
Meanwhile, a six-member GJM delegation led by party general secretary Roshan Giri left for Delhi this afternoon to meet the Union home minister. “We had an appointment with home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on July 18 but could not go due to certain reasons. However, we will seek a fresh appointment after we reach Delhi tomorrow,” said Giri without elaborating on the purpose of the visit.
But sources have said the GJM delegation that includes the
three MLAs of the Hills, central committee member DK Pradhan and Darjeeling Municipality chairman Amar Singh Rai, is expected to pursue the case of Gorkhaland in the backdrop of the Congress party holding talks on creating a Telengana state in the near future.(EOIC)