Fast-unto-death postponed to attract more support

SNS, 13 July 2017, Kalimpong: Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) has decided to postpone its fast- unto-death programme that was supposed to begin in Darjeeling on 15 July.

The GMCC called an emergent meeting today to discuss suggestions pouring in from people of different walks of life.

According to GMCC leaders, they want to make the movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland more effective as people from different parts of the country and the world have come together to support the movement.

Such unity will go in vain if we limit the venue of such programmes to Darjeeling hills only. We now want to shift the attention from Darjeeling to the whole of India,' a GMCC member said.

The GMCC also said that it feels that the people have not been informed properly about the Gorkhaland movement and that it is important to educate them more about it.

Addressing the media, the coordinator of the GMCC, Kalyan Dewan, said: "We want to attract the attention of the Centre and the country's presidential election is very important. This will hinder our activities there. Therefore, the presidential election is one of the reasons for us postponing the hunger-strike.'

However, the new dates and venues for the fast- unto-death have not been decided yet. The GMCC said it wants more organisations to come forward

and support the movement. The GMCC also did not clarify if they are going stage the fast outside Darjeeling.

The next GMCC meeting is scheduled to be held on 18 July, but the venue for the same is yet to be disclosed.