Harka floats new party in Hills

Deep Gazmer, Jan 28, 2016, Darjeeling: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung welcomed rebel leader Harka Bahadur Chhetri's new political party, which was floated on Wednesday.

However, Gurung cautioned Chhetri that it should not work against the idea or struggle for a separate state. The Jan Andolan Party (JAP) was floated at a public meeting in Kalimpong sub-division.

"In a democracy, everyone has the right to participate in political activities, which include forming a party. We have always respected the democratic rights and followed Gandhian principles. However, the new party (JAP) should not indulge in any anti-Gorkhaland state demand activity," Gurung said, while welcoming supporters from Trinamool and GNLF who defected to the GJM fold.

On Wednesday, 125 families from the Trinamool camp at Tukdah-Teesta Valley and 14 families from the GNLF camp from the municipality areas were welcomed into GJM by Gurung at the Patleybas office in Darjeeling. Gurung refused to get drawn into making any anti-Chhetri comment, but said that no party in the Hills could survive without including the statehood demand in their policies.

"It is known to one and all that no political party can survive in the Hills for long without the statehood demand. My advice for Chhetri is that he should work for the community and for a separate state," the GJM president said.

The GJM chief also said that the central government had invited the Hills party for tripartite talks on February 2 in Delhi.

"We have been invited for talks in Delhi and our general secretary Roshan Giri will represent the GJM. Issues such as transfer of departments and mouzas of the Terai and Dooars areas to the council, setting up of a three-tier panchayat system and central university in the Hills, regularizing casual workers and teachers and conferring tribal status to 10 Hills communities will feature in the talks," Gurung said.

The tripartite meeting was initially slated to be held on January 5, 2016 as a follow up to the January 29, 2015 talks, to review the memorandum of agreement and act of 2011, but it was postponed. GJM members will also meet with the state officials on January 29 to discuss regularization of GTA causal workers.

The GJM president issued the warning on a day Chhetri, former spokesperson of the party and also the MLA from Kalimpong, officially announced the name and floated the "Jan Andolan Party" (JAP) by organizing a public meeting in Kalimpong sub-division. "In democracy everyone has the right to participate in political activity which includes forming a party. We have always respected the democratic rights and followed the Gandhian principles. However, the new party (JAP) should not indulge in anti-Gorkhaland state demand activities," said Gurung in Darjeeling while welcoming supporters from the TMC and GNLF, who defected to the GJM fold, today.

Today, 125 and 14 families from the TMC and GNLF camps from the Tukdah-Teesta Valley and municipality areas, respectively, were welcomed and handed the party's flags by Gurung at the Patleybas office in Darjeeling. Gurung refuse to get drawn into making any anti-Chhetri comment but said that no party in the Hills could survive without including the statehood demand in their policies. 

"It is known to one and all that no political party can survive in the Hills for long, without the statehood demand. My advice for Chhetri is that he should work for the community and for a separate state and indulge in divisive politics," the GJM president said. The GJM chief also said that the central government had invited the Hills party for tripartite talk on February 2 in Delhi. 

"We have been invited for talks in Delhi and our general secretary Roshan Giri will represent the GJM party. Issues such as transfer of departments and mouzas of the Terai and Dooars areas to the council, setting up of a three tier panchayat system and central university in the Hills, regularizing casual workers and teachers and conferring tribal status to ten Hills communities among others will feature in the talks," Gurung said.

The tripartite meeting was initially slated to be held on January 5, 2016 as a follow up to the January 29, 2015 talks, to review the memorandum of agreement and act of 2011, but it was postponed. The GJM will also sit for a meeting with the state government on January 29 to discuss regularization of GTA causal workers.