Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will resume agitation from Aug 19: Bimal Gurung

PTI, August 13, 2013, Darjeeling: With the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) having relaxed the indefinite bandh to demand Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling hills for four days from Independence day, its president Bimal Gurung on Tuesday said that the 'agitation' would be continued from August 19. 

"The agitation will continue from the 19th," Gurung said in a Facebook post, without specifying what the agitation would be or whether the indefinite bandh which entered the 11th day, would be continued. 

"The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will continue to exercise their freedom of expression, speech and will assemble peacefully to press for their demand for Gorkhaland," he said. "We will let the people know our plans on the 16th," he said. 

The GJM had yesterday announced that an all party meeting would be held on August 16. The GJM is holding a two-day 'janata curfew' in the hills today and tomorrow. 

The 'janata curfew' came at the expiry of the 72-hour deadline set by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to call off the shutdown, which has been declared illegal. 

The Calcutta High Court has directed the state government to take steps to maintain normalcy in the Darjeeling hills. 

Yesterday, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said that force would not be used to enforce the bandh in deference to the high court order. 

Meanwhile, life remained paralysed in the hills, but there was no picketing as witnessed in the past few days. 

Another 30 GJM members were arrested, taking the total number of arrests to 214, police sources said. 

The arrested included GJM central committee member Ashok Lama from Kalchini in the Dooars in the plains, according to SP Kunal Agarwal's office here. 

The GJM has softened its stance saying it would participate in the election of a new chief executive of the hill council, Gorkha Territorial Administration. 

GTA Sabha chairman and Morcha central committee member Bhupendra Pradhan has said he would write to the GTA principal secretary RD Meena to call a meeting of the GTA Sabha on August 16 to elect the new chief executive of the hill body. 

Bimal Gurung resigned as CEO on July 30 prior to the start of the agitation for a separate state. Yesterday, GJM spokesman Harka Bahadur Chhetri had said all GTA members would resign at an 'appropriate time'.

KalimNews: Thanking the people for observing the Janta Curfew he shared Anjan Datta's FB statement in his social network page as follows:

" Its time we join the folks at Darj and unanimously voice our support of the long historical issue of Gorkhaland. The issue of Identity. Its my appeal to all free citizens of our nation who value their identity, language, culture and history, to wake up the legitimate demands of the PEOPLE of Darj. Please understand that the issue of Gorkhaland is not about GJM or Bimal Gurung, but much much bigger than them. 

Like any movement they are just giving leadership because they represent the majority. Most of us Bengalis have no idea of the situation in Darj and what the demand stands for. They have always regarded Darj as a quick, convenient getaway from the heat and don't want to let go because no logical reason but the vague issue of Balkanization. 

Balkanization has been our legacy since the British left, but we still have survived as a democratic republic and will survive. 

Please let us not prolong our confusion over a very legitimate issue and at least raise a public forum which, if not anything,will give some emotional strength to those cut off totally at Darj without TV, with fear, unrest in their minds, filled with cops...I am not a political person or a social activist. I will never be one. 

I do not belong to left or right. I am just a Darj boy who through a lot of pain found my true identity as a Bengali in Kolkata. I know what Identity is all about." Anjan Datta