GJAC suffers setback after Gorkha League walks out

The much-touted joint venture initiated by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to push ahead with its series of agitation programmes received a body blow today when the All India Gorkha League, a key constituent of the newly-found Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee, announced its decision to part ways.
The GJAC is a conglomeration of nine political and apolitical bodies formed under the initiative of the GJM after it came under fire from the high court over its bandh calls as well as entered into a stand-off with the state government.
The GJAC was formed on August 12 in an all-parties meeting but was given its name only on Friday in the second round of the meet.
The AIGL attended the first two meetings of the GJAC but it won’t be present at the third scheduled for Sunday in Darjeeling.
The decision to stay away from tomorrow’s meeting was taken during the party’s emergency meet today convened to take stock of the present political scenario in the Hills.
The house was unanimous in its decision to boycott the GJAC meeting till such time the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration gets dissolved and all Sabha members resign from their posts. “The GTA is an obstacle in the path of a separate state. We cannot run the GTA and at the same time agitate for a Gorkhaland state. That is why we have taken the decision of not to attend any GJAC meeting,” said AIGL general secretary Pratap Khati.
The party will formally communicate its decision to quit to the GJAC chairman.
When reminded that AIGL members had attended the all-parties meeting on two occasions, AIGL vice president Laxman Pradhan said, “We had placed the issue in the two meetings on August 12 and 16. But the GJM representatives did not give any indication of either dissolving the GTA or asking its members to resign. Since we cannot put our foot on two boats, we decided it was best to part ways till such time the GTA is dissolved.”
He added, “The three MLAs along with the chairmen of the municipalities must also resign as they are all under the state government”.
The AIGL also made it clear it is neither for nor against the agitation programmes announced by the GJAC on Friday, which includes the ‘ghar bhitrai janta’ campaign.
“We have nothing to say with regard to the pre-announced agitation programmes of the GJAC. We will neither support it nor oppose them,” said Pradhan.
Meanwhile, it is learnt the GJM today faxed a letter to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker requesting the three Hills MLAs to be allowed to sit in the Opposition bench instead of the Treasury as a mark of protest against the state government’s highhandedness.
GJAC coordinator and GJM assistant secretary Raju Pradhan refused to read much into the AIGL’s decision and said, “We have nothing to say; let them do whatever they want. It is for all to see and decide.”
Incidentally, in 2009 too, the AIGL had departed midway from an all-parties joint venture called by the GJM to present its case for separation from Bengal to the central government.
GJAC Chairman Enos Das Pradhan from the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh said AIGL representatives had not given any indication of their grievances in the two meetings. “It must be an afterthought of the AIGL to leave the GJAC. They never placed their demand before the committee in the two meetings convened earlier even though their vice president was present. Whatever the case, we will deal with the situation tomorrow,” said Pradhan. But CPRM spokesperson Govind Chhetri expressed disappointment. “Whatever be their (AIGL) complaint, they should have placed it in the all-party meet,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police have arrested 23 GJM activists in overnight raids from different places, including 11 warrantees, taking the total arrests to 445. (EOIC)