Darjeeling impasse: All GTA members resign... All party chapter is not closed but meeting to be held on 29 June...

TH, JUNE 23, 2017 Kolkata: Senior leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha including party president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri on Friday resigned as office bearers of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). Their resignation letters was sent to West Bengal Home Secretary.

The resignation comes in the wake a decision taken by all political parties in Darjeeling on June 20 that the GJM representatives will resign from the GTA.

Mr. Gurung resurfaced after seven days and held a press conference saying all 43 elected members will resign. He also said he will continue to stay at Patleybas and dared the police to come and arrest.

The GTA agreement, a tripartite accord was signed between the GJM, the State Government and the Centre in 2011, led to the formation of GTA, a regional autonomous body. The body was being administered by the GJM, with Bimal Gurung as its Chief Executive.

Boarding School students return to plains

Hundreds of students from the boarding schools of Darjeeling descended to Siliguri on Friday. In the ongoing indefinite strike over the statehood stir the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has provided a 12-hour breather to the boarding school students to travel. Over 5,000 students from about 50 schools study in Darjeeling and Kalimpomg district.

Summer vacations of over a dozen of schools in the Darjeeling hills began on Friday and the school authorities have expressed their concern on how will the students go home. Meanwhile the indefinite strike in the hills entered on the ninth day. Along with protests in the hills there was protest in Siliguri also, as a section of drivers plying to Sikkim put posters and said that no vehicle will go to Silliguri.
KalimNews: Correcting his statement of yester night Bimal Gurung stated that he had said that the chapter of GTA will be closed as we were resigning from GTA but it was distorted by media. He also announced that the next all party meeting will be held on 29 June 2016 and all will unitedly decide the next course of the agitational movement. He stated that it is the outcome of all party meeting that all 43 members have resigned and scrapped GTA. On 27 June the the organisation will burn the GTA tripartite agreement. He also called upon all to unite for the movement. He further stated that GJM demands a CBI inquiry into police firing in which 3 GJMM supporters were killed and several peace marching supporters were injured.