Student wing of GJMM to organise awareness camps

SNS, Darjeeling, 23 July 2013: The student wing of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha has decided to organise awareness camps in schools and colleges across three sub-divisions of the Darjeeling Hills in support of Gorkhaland. 

Today, the wing submitted a memorandum to the party’s senior leadership, explaining the resolution the student wing has adopted asking the party to cast off the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and to plunge headlong for Gorkhaland. “Students are the future and there is no future left for them in the GTA. 

The party leadership should adapt itself to the changing contours of the national politics when demands for smaller states are being considered by the Centre. There is thus no reason, in our view, as to why the party should remain stuck in the marshes of the GTA,” said Mr Deep Thapa, the vice president of Vidyarthi Morcha, the GJMM’s student affiliate. 

“Vidyarthi Morcha has never participated in any of the GTA activities. Nor will we participate even if it gets constitutional recognition,” he added. 

Notably, the student and the youth wings of the party had staged a demonstration, asking the party to quit the GTA on 18 July ~ the second anniversary of the signing of the tripartite GTA memorandum of understanding. 

However, the party leadership has been maintaining a studied silence regarding the fresh spell of statehood movement launched at the behest of some of the party affiliates. “Things are not yet clear as to whether the party would support the stance of its affiliates. 

But it would prove difficult for the party to continue with the GTA and striving for the statehood cause at the same time in case Telangana is carved out. A schism might surface in the party’s rank and file and it would bode ill for the party,” said an observer.