Darjeeling minorities demand reservation in GTA

EOI, DARJEELING, 26 Jul 2015: The minority community in the hills has come together under the banner of Gorkha Janmukti Muslim Morcha (GJMM), to put its weight behind Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) for the demand of a separate state and uplift of the community.

On Sunday, a 35-member committee was formed in Darjeeling that will look after the welfare of the community. “On the direction of the GJM president Bimal Gurung, today we formed the GJMM at Patleybas in Darjeeling. We will work for the people of our community and also strengthen the activities that the GJM party under takes,” said N.A.Khan, who was nominated as GJMM’s president during the day. The GJMM also nominated 24 executive members to look after the daily affairs of the association.

In June last month, Gurung had invited the entire Muslim minority community from the three hill sub-divisions and also from the Terai and Dooars for a meeting which was hailed by members as the first ever in the hills. On that occasion Gurung had asked the community to unite and work for the benefit of the people.

“The GJMM was formed informally last month but today a central committee was set-up with 35 members representing the sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong and Mirik in the foothills,” Khan said.

According to Jaitun Nisha, the newly elect organizational secretary from Kurseong, the GJMM’s objectives was also to take up the problems presently being faced by the community. “We have several problems in our community such as unemployment, financial conditions in whole, lack of cemetery in areas where people of our community reside and Masjids. We will try and address these issues with the help of the GJM party,” she said.

The community also plans to persuade the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) for representation in the council body. The GTA has 45 elected and five nominated members.

However, there is no reservation for the minority community.

“We have full faith on GJM and the party president and are sure that our demand will be given a good thought,” said Khan. Adding, “I say this because never ever has our community been invited by any political parties of the Hills for interaction. Gurungji  did that for the first time last month. In fact, for the first time also an Iftar party was organized by the GJM in the hills which gives us the belief that the party will work for the development of our community”.

Like the minority body, the schedule caste community of the Hills has also demanded reservation in the GTA few days ago in a programme in which Gurung was present.