Third all-party meet convened, committee to chalk out plan

SNS, Darjeeling, 18 August 2013:  Tomorrow onwards, normal life in Hills will remain paralysed for five days due to the bandh convened by the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee, a conglomeration of GJMM and the non-GJMM parties. 

Only the tea plantations and cinchona plantations have been exempted. Maintaining that the bandh is desired by the majority of the people of the Hills so as to compel the Centre to intervene in the statehood stir after the UPA decided to grant Telangana, a top GJAC leader said: "No imposition or force will be applied." "We respect the High Court order and are not acting against it. This bandh is as desired by the majority of the people in support of Gorkhaland,” said the chairman of the committee, Mr Enos Das Pradhan. 

"For the five-day bandh, the committee has made a slight modification," said Mr Pradhan. A four-day show of strength (Janta Sadakma) will be convened from 20 to 23 August where the masses will join the streets to express solidarity in the Gorkhaland movement, said Mr Pradhan. 

Tomorrow “janata curfew” will be observed throughout the GTA areas as ‘Ghar Bhitrai Janata’ (Public at home). The leaders had earlier announced five days of janata curfew. Today, the third all-party meeting was convened at the GJMM party office at Singhamari, Darjeeling, chaired by Mr Bimal Gurung, president of the GJMM. 

The venue had to be changed when the administration deployed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at the Gymkhana Club, where the earlier two meetings of the all-party was held. 

Today, the GJAC formed a programme planning committee to chalk out the future plan of action. The All India Gorkha League party did not attend the meeting today maintaining it would stay away until the committee and the GJMM totally scrap GTA. 

“The committee had earlier unanimously decided to scrap GTA but in an appropriate way. The leaders of the AIGL after attending two meetings has decided to leave which was unfortunate and sad,” said Mr Pradhan. 

On the other hand, it has been learnt that ten more companies of CRPF was deployed yesterday, making a total of 15 companies, including one company of woman personnel, so far deployed in the Hills. 

Also, 16 platoons of IRB, RAF and SSF are said to have been deployed in addition. “The state approach to our movement is totally wrong. We are for democratic and peaceful revolution. The state has to understand this while the Centre has to intervene,” said Mr Enos Das Pradhan. 

“A delegation comprising former Gorkha MLAs, MPs in the country and the present three Hills MLAs and MP will be sent to Delhi, soon,” said Mr Pradhan. 

Meanwhile, the leaders of the committee are adamant to soon freeze the export of tea and timber from Darjeeling, in a move meant to paralyse the economy of the state. The next meeting of the GJAC has been scheduled on 30 August; the venue has not been fixed.