Didi cheated us, never granted autonomy to GTA, says Gurung

Madhuparna Das, Kolkata, August 08 2013: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Wednesday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of having "cheated the hill people" by "promising autonomy, which was never granted". "The people of the hills have been cheated by Didi," GJM president Bimal Gurung said. 

"We trusted her and accepted to be a part of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) hoping that through the autonomous hill council she would bring development to the hills. But it was an eyewash. The GTA became a failure the day we had to move the Calcutta High Court seeking judicial intervention in changing the principal secretary to GTA," Gurung said in an exclusive conversation with The Indian Express. 

He said it was mentioned in the agreement (for the GTA) that all the old political cases would be withdrawn and the GLP cadres recruited in government service. 

"But see what she is doing. She did not recruit the GLP cadres, who are disciplined and trained youths from the hills. Instead, she has started picking them up and sending them to jail by framing them in false cases," Gurung added. He claimed that the West Bengal government did not withdraw any political case against the GJM leaders in the last two years and "now she (Banerjee) is reviving them and arresting our people." 

The GJM chief said that though Banerjee did inaugurate several projects, but "I can tell that all of them were old projects". 

Meanwhile, state home secretary Basudeb Banerjee today met RD Meena, principal secretary to the GTA. After the meeting, he said, "The GJM allegations are not true. We are trying to bring development to the area and are working towards it. We hope that the political parties would understand the need of development in the area and act accordingly."

His plea notwithstanding, the Morcha supporters blocked a road, forcing the home secretary to shun his car and walk to the DM office in Darjeeling. Meanwhile, the state government kept the pressure on the GJM leadership by arresting 32 of its cadres from different parts of the three hill sub-divisions. The GJM workers, including three women, were arrested Tuesday night following police raids at several places in the hills. 

As of now, more than 100 GJM workers, including a senior GTA member, have been arrested, police said. Police have already picked up at least 28 GLP cadres named in both fresh and old cases. 

A GJM delegation, led by party general secretary Roshan Giri Morcha, will meet BJP chief LK Advani while Bimal Gurung has decided not to visit Delhi on Thursday as the party was yet to get an appointment with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Binay Tamang, vice-president of the Morcha said. "Our stand is clear. 

We will not start a dialogue with the state government. We will only talk to the centre," Tamang added. 

According to a senior official, the state government has given a clear message that there will not be an approach from its side to open a dialogue with the GJM.