‘Attend dharna’ order to hill teachers - Protests and meeting from December 18-20 in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar

Bimal Gurung in Darjeeling(Suman Tamang)

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Sept. 16: Bimal Gurung today told newly appointed primary and secondary schoolteachers to “compulsorily” attend the party’s dharna and public meeting planned in New Delhi in December.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha held an indoor meeting of the party’s frontal organisations at the Rangamanch Bhavan today where details of the Delhi agitation were announced.

“The 630 primary schoolteachers and 269 secondary teachers who got appointments after the GTA was formed, must compulsorily attend the dharna and public meeting in Delhi,” a source present the meeting quoted Gurung as saying.

The party has decided to organise a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on December 18 and 19 followed by a public meeting at Talkatora Stadium on December 20.

“Gurung has directed all the 47 GTA Sabha members to take two party supporters to Delhi each and bear the entire cost, including their travel, food and lodging expenses. The municipal commissioners have been directed to fund the expenses of one supporter each,” the source said.

There are 32 wards in the Darjeeling municipality, 23 in Kalimpong, 20 wards in Kurseong and nine in Mirik.

Today, Gurung also announced that the party would have to send at least 90 supporters from each of the 45 GTA constituencies.

“Apart from these supporters, the students’ front should also make arrangements to send at least 10 students from each constituency,” the source quoted Gurung as saying. “Our supporters from the Northeast and other places in India would also attend the public meeting.”

Trinamul today hit back at Gurung for allegedly “blackmailing” the teachers.

“You cannot blackmail government employees. If the teachers have got jobs, it is because of their ability. We appeal to the hill teachers not to cow down under the threat but instead, take Gurung to court for issuing such a diktat,” said Binny Sharma, the general secretary, Trinamul (Hills).

He alleged that Gurung was harassing his supporters for his own political survival.

“People are being harassed for his political survival. He is the one to say that the Prime Minister and the BJP knows everything about the demand (statehood) and we fail to understand the logic behind organising a dharna at Jantar Mantar where at any given time, more than a dozen demonstrations are taking place,” said Sharma.

“On the one hand, the Morcha is talking of development, and on the other hand, to hoodwink the hill people they are talking about a statehood agitation. These leaders are not being able to administer even three hill subdivisions properly,” said Sharma.