A Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) delegation led by party president Bimal Gurung called on West Bengal Governor Kesarinath Tripathi in Darjeeling on Friday and submitted a memorandum with the demand (Gorkhaland ) seeking his intervention for the creation of a separate state in the hills.
The Bengal Governor arrived in Darjeeling on May 27 and would return to Kolkata on June 5.
The GJM chief accompanied by five senior leaders reached the Raj Bhawan in the morning and apprised the Governor of their demand. “We welcomed the Bengal Governor to the Hills and also submitted a memorandum with our demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland,” said Gurung after the meeting that lasted 20 minutes. “We have maintained peace in the Hills and now we want to progress. This can only be achieved by a separate state,” he said.
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri who was also present pointed out that the BJP has supported the statehood demand. “In its election manifesto the BJP has said it would sympathetically examine our demand. We want a committee to be formed soon to start the process of examining our justified demand,” he said.
Apart from the statehood demand the GJM delegation also placed a complaint before the Governor of state government interfering in the functioning of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). “The GTA is reaching its third year but we have not been able to work properly due to unnecessary interference by the state government. We want to do many developmental works in the Hills but cannot. How can we run the council this way,” Giri said.
The GJM general secretary said several subjects were yet to be fully transferred to the council. Issues such as establishing a School Service Commission, a College Service Commission and a sub-ordinate staff selection board by the council in the Hills as per the 2011 GTA agreement had also not been implemented. “We have more than 500 vacancies in high school and higher secondary schools. Besides, there are nine colleges under the GTA. But we have not been able to make the selection due to the interference of the state government,” Giri said. According to him, under such circumstances the ultimate solution to the problem of the hills was separation from Bengal.
Terming the day’s meeting as positive; Giri said that the Governor had invited a GJM delegation to Kolkata on June 15 to discuss in details the problems plaguing the hills. “The Governor has asked us to come to Kolkata and discuss our problems. The state chief secretary and home secretary will also attend the meeting to arrive at a solution,” he said. (EOIC)
The Bengal Governor arrived in Darjeeling on May 27 and would return to Kolkata on June 5.
The GJM chief accompanied by five senior leaders reached the Raj Bhawan in the morning and apprised the Governor of their demand. “We welcomed the Bengal Governor to the Hills and also submitted a memorandum with our demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland,” said Gurung after the meeting that lasted 20 minutes. “We have maintained peace in the Hills and now we want to progress. This can only be achieved by a separate state,” he said.
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri who was also present pointed out that the BJP has supported the statehood demand. “In its election manifesto the BJP has said it would sympathetically examine our demand. We want a committee to be formed soon to start the process of examining our justified demand,” he said.
Apart from the statehood demand the GJM delegation also placed a complaint before the Governor of state government interfering in the functioning of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). “The GTA is reaching its third year but we have not been able to work properly due to unnecessary interference by the state government. We want to do many developmental works in the Hills but cannot. How can we run the council this way,” Giri said.
The GJM general secretary said several subjects were yet to be fully transferred to the council. Issues such as establishing a School Service Commission, a College Service Commission and a sub-ordinate staff selection board by the council in the Hills as per the 2011 GTA agreement had also not been implemented. “We have more than 500 vacancies in high school and higher secondary schools. Besides, there are nine colleges under the GTA. But we have not been able to make the selection due to the interference of the state government,” Giri said. According to him, under such circumstances the ultimate solution to the problem of the hills was separation from Bengal.
Terming the day’s meeting as positive; Giri said that the Governor had invited a GJM delegation to Kolkata on June 15 to discuss in details the problems plaguing the hills. “The Governor has asked us to come to Kolkata and discuss our problems. The state chief secretary and home secretary will also attend the meeting to arrive at a solution,” he said. (EOIC)
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