Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary
Roshan Giri today left for Delhi to participate in a three-day
political programme in demand of a separate state of Gorkhaland.
The GJM’s central committee members,
along with units from various places across the country, plan to stage a
dharna at Jantar Mantar on December 13. This is to be followed by a
march from Jantar Mantar to Sansad Bhawan the next day and again a rally
from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar on December 15.
Before embarking on his journey, Giri
said, “I am going to Delhi to attend a three-day programme organised by
our party to demand a separate state. Units from other states will also
be present at the event. More than 2,000 people from the Darjeeling
hills alone will be attending the programme.”
Ahead of the November 20 and 21
bipartite and tripartite meetings in Kolkata, the GJM leadership had
assured there would be no bandhs in the hills. It had also committed to
focus its energies in the national capital to pursue the statehood
demand.
GJM president Bimal Gurung is also expected to attend the programme in Delhi to boost the morale of the participants.
“We cannot say for sure but our party president is expected to attend the programme,” said Giri.
Meanwhile, at an event organised today
by the cinchona sector in Jamuney, Gurung hinted of returning to the
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration as its chief executive.
“The GTA is not functioning properly at
the moment and there are lots of issues that need to be addressed. For
this we need a stable atmosphere and the council should be properly
headed to run it properly,” said the GJM chief.
Gurung also revealed he would be meeting
chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on December 20 to discuss
issues pertaining to the GTA. The administrative body at present is
being run by an interim chief executive after Gurung quit this July to
spearhead his party’s latest movement for statehood.(EOIC)