Bandh relaxed for 4 days; meet to mull future of agitation

SNS, Darjeeling, 12 August The Hills agitation today witnessed a sharp and positive turn towards the Gorkhaland demand. If Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha renewed the stir, now onwards, all the major political parties will unanimously decide on the course of agitation. 

Four days relaxation on the indefinite strike has been announced from 15 to 18 August and all the political parties in the Hills will sit for another meeting on 16 August to decide on the indefinite strike that entered the tenth day throughout the GTA areas. 

The Hills parties have welcomed the decision of ‘janta curfew’ to take place from tomorrow. Meanwhile, a massive gathering of people were seen clouding the streets of Chowk bazaar today. 

Observers believe such gathering of the people expressing their support to the statehood demand is the first time ever in the Hills. Back to the meeting, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), Trinamul Congress (TMC) and Communist Party of Indian Marxist (CPI-M) escaped the meeting today held at Gymkhana club. 

However, nine major Hills political party attended the four-hour long meeting and unanimously adopted five point resolutions with the first being to form a united forum yet no name has been fixed which will be decided together on the upcoming course of agitation programmes. 

Mr Harka Bahadur Chhetri, the spokesperson to the GJMM, leading a press conference amid top leaders of other political parties, said: “An elaborate discussion on the continuity or the viability of GTA topped the meeting. 

May be GTA will be totally abandoned but in an appropriate manner. We shall make the announcement on a timely basis.” On the other hand, another all party meeting has been scheduled on 16 August to finalise the future course of agitation programmes and whether to continue the indefinite strike. 

However, the Gorkhaland issue was one of the main agendas of the meeting today. Further, Mr Chhetri said: “All the Hills political party has decided to form committees and sub-committees like human rights commission, legal cell. We condemn the state sponsored terrorism of establishing police raj in the Hills who are arresting our supporters, leaders and even the GTA members.” It can be mentioned that the police have arrested about 200 GJMM supporters. According to police sources, 16 more arrests has been made today. 

“The meeting today also appealed all the people to support the two-day janta curfew” added Mr Chettri. Meanwhile, as many organisations have said to abide by the public curfew, and even the news agencies have decided to not to circulate the newspaper for two days. 

Relaxation has been given to the tea plantation and the cinchona plantation. 

The nine political parties of the Hills that attended the meeting today were the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM), All India Gorkha League (AIGL), Hills Congress (HC), Gorkha Rastriya Congress (GRC), Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP), Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), Gorkha Rastriya Nirman Morcha (GRNM), Gorkhaland Task Force (GTF) and Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM).