Public CompanyGJM demands Bill for Gorkhaland
The Centre should immediately table a Bill in Parliament for creation of Gorkhaland as it has decided to carve out a separate Telangana, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, spearheading an agitation for a separate state in West Bengal, said today.
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“Telengana is on the verge of being formed. We demand that the Centre consider our rightful demand as well and place a Bill in the ongoing winter session of Parliament,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said. Giri said, “If Telangana can be created, why not Gorkhaland? It is a 102-year-old demand and entirely justified. We have the support of BJP. (BJP national spokesman) Rajiv Prasad Rudy has taken up the issue in Parliament.” Speaking about the areas of the proposed state, he said it would include the hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, besides Siliguri in the plains and the Dooars in adjoining Jalpaiguri district.
He said that Gorkhaland would cover 6,500 sq km under which 11 assembly constituencies fall. Giri also said GJM would renew its ties with two other North Bengal organisations -- Kamtapur Progressive Party demanding a Kamtapur state and Greater Coochbehar Democratic Party seeking a separate Cooch Behar state. “We have very good relations with KPP president Atul Roy and GCDP chief Asutosh Barma,” he said.
Asked how the GJM’s demand for Gorkhaland was different from that of the Gorkha National Liberation Front chief Subhas Ghishing, Giri said, “Their was a bloody movement, but ours is a Gandhian one.”
“Our movement will never be through armed struggle. Ours agitation will be confined to bandhs, dharnas and hunger strikes,” he added. To a question that Gorkhaland may not be realised as all mainstream political parties were against it, he replied, “We are not bothered. We will realise our demand through a forceful movement.”
On the December 21 tripartite talks in Darjeeling, Giri said it would be at the official level. “But we want the tripartite talks at the political level.”
At a tripartite meeting in Delhi on August 11, the Centre, the West Bengal government and the GJM had agreed that the Hill Council would be abolished and an alternative administrative arrangement would be made.
A GJM memorandum which was submitted to the Centre earlier had claimed that historically the demand for a separate state was justified as the territory was ceded by Nepal in 1815 and was never a part of West Bengal prior to Independence.
At present, GJM’s writ runs only in the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling district -- Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong. Another subdivision, Siliguri is in the plains.