West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
(GJM) president Bimal Gurung had a one-on-one talk at Richmond Hills in
Darjeeling on Wednesday but gave nothing away, in the backdrop of the
latter being named in the in the CBI charge sheet in connection with the
Madan Tamang murder case.
Gurung accompanied by the MLAs from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong arrived at Richmond Hill, a government guest house and headed straight for the meeting with the Bengal chief minister. In the nearly hour long meeting, the CM and the GJM president stepped aside for a separate talk.
The GJM chief and 22 others are named in the Central agency’s charge sheet. A Kolkata court had issued a warrant of arrest that was to be executed within June 26. However, after the GJM leaders applied for an anticipatory bail, the high court on Tuesday stayed the arrest till July 1 and asked the CBI to file an affidavit.
Gurung, however, did drop a veiled hint after coming out from the meeting with the chief minister. “We have talked on previous occasions on various issues but today’s was the best of the meetings,” he said.
The GJM leader refused, however, to get drawn into the issue of his name figuring in the CBI charge sheet. “The matter is in the court now. I have been named and am I will face it,” Gurung said. “All named in the charge sheet are innocent,” he said when asked if the matter
was discussed with the Bengal CM.
The chief minister briefed the reporters separately at Tourist Lodge where she presided over a meeting to discuss on the policy and development work being undertaken by the North Bengal Development Board with officials.
When notified about Gurung’s statement of “the best meeting” with her, Mamata said, “Work is a continuous process. And along the way there will be misunderstanding. But, with progress in the work, a cordial atmosphere develops and the misunderstanding disappears”. She was also quick to dissuade any possible questions on the GJM charge sheet issue. “My intension is to see there is peace and development from Junglemahal to Darjeeling Hills. I have not uttered any word against anybody. The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) is an official organization and so is the Hills municipality and they have always cooperated with the state government,” the CM asserted.
Gorkha National Liberation Front leaders, too, met the chief minister at the Tourist Lodge but refused to comment. The Bengal CM however said that they had come with development-related issues. “I could not come when Subash Ghisingh died. But it is good that I met his son Mann. They had come to meet with some development issues,” Mamata
said.
Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri, who is also named in the charge-sheet was more open with his statement and said the matter was not raised with the CM. “The matter is sub-judice and since it is related to the central government, we thought it prudent
not to raise the issue with the chief minister, today,” he said while adding that whattranspired in the day’s meeting with the Chief Minister was good and positive.
The MLA said the chief minister discussed in details various development projects to be undertaken in the Hills. Issues such as making Darjeeling clean and green, constructing 55,000 toilets under the Nirmal Bangla Mission, solid waste management and making the Hills plastic free were among the several discussed.
During the day, representatives of the Tamang Development Cultural Board and Nawa Mangar Association and the West Bengal Pensioner’s Association also met the chief minister.(EOI)
Gurung accompanied by the MLAs from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong arrived at Richmond Hill, a government guest house and headed straight for the meeting with the Bengal chief minister. In the nearly hour long meeting, the CM and the GJM president stepped aside for a separate talk.
The GJM chief and 22 others are named in the Central agency’s charge sheet. A Kolkata court had issued a warrant of arrest that was to be executed within June 26. However, after the GJM leaders applied for an anticipatory bail, the high court on Tuesday stayed the arrest till July 1 and asked the CBI to file an affidavit.
Gurung, however, did drop a veiled hint after coming out from the meeting with the chief minister. “We have talked on previous occasions on various issues but today’s was the best of the meetings,” he said.
The GJM leader refused, however, to get drawn into the issue of his name figuring in the CBI charge sheet. “The matter is in the court now. I have been named and am I will face it,” Gurung said. “All named in the charge sheet are innocent,” he said when asked if the matter
was discussed with the Bengal CM.
The chief minister briefed the reporters separately at Tourist Lodge where she presided over a meeting to discuss on the policy and development work being undertaken by the North Bengal Development Board with officials.
When notified about Gurung’s statement of “the best meeting” with her, Mamata said, “Work is a continuous process. And along the way there will be misunderstanding. But, with progress in the work, a cordial atmosphere develops and the misunderstanding disappears”. She was also quick to dissuade any possible questions on the GJM charge sheet issue. “My intension is to see there is peace and development from Junglemahal to Darjeeling Hills. I have not uttered any word against anybody. The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) is an official organization and so is the Hills municipality and they have always cooperated with the state government,” the CM asserted.
Gorkha National Liberation Front leaders, too, met the chief minister at the Tourist Lodge but refused to comment. The Bengal CM however said that they had come with development-related issues. “I could not come when Subash Ghisingh died. But it is good that I met his son Mann. They had come to meet with some development issues,” Mamata
said.
Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri, who is also named in the charge-sheet was more open with his statement and said the matter was not raised with the CM. “The matter is sub-judice and since it is related to the central government, we thought it prudent
not to raise the issue with the chief minister, today,” he said while adding that whattranspired in the day’s meeting with the Chief Minister was good and positive.
The MLA said the chief minister discussed in details various development projects to be undertaken in the Hills. Issues such as making Darjeeling clean and green, constructing 55,000 toilets under the Nirmal Bangla Mission, solid waste management and making the Hills plastic free were among the several discussed.
During the day, representatives of the Tamang Development Cultural Board and Nawa Mangar Association and the West Bengal Pensioner’s Association also met the chief minister.(EOI)
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