Delhi shuts door on GJM...STANCE Centre does a U-turn, says state govt must be involved in future talks

Amitava Banerjee , THT, Darjeeling, 7 September 2013: DARJEELING: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) faced further alienation with Delhi trying to close its doors on the Hill party. After protests by the Trinamool in Parliament over Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s meet with the GJM, the Centre did a volte face and declared that it would hold no further parleys with the party without the involvement of the state government.

Meanwhile, the GJM on Saturday announced that government offices along with educational institutes would remain open on the two days of indefinite bandh relaxation on September 9 and 10. 

Earlier, they had announced that educational institutions along with government offices would remain closed on the two days of bandh relaxation. No reason was cited for this sudden change in stance. 

“After September 10, the education institutions will be closed down again and will reopen from September 13,” said Roshan Giri, GJM general secretary. 

However, political observers say that the government office relaxation would enable the preparation of the payrolls, which would facilitate the disbursement of salaries. 

Government employees are yet to receive salaries for August. 

Sources said the state government will be implementing a no work no pay policy for August and employees will face huge deductions in salary. 

Minister of state for home affairs RPN Singh said in Rajya Sabha that the GJM delegation’s meeting with Shinde on September 3 was “coincidental” and at very short notice. He even said the Union home minister had tried to contact chief minister Mamata Banerjee but failed as she was addressing a rally in Kalimpong that day. 

Following Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s line, RPN Singh assured that any talks on Gorkhaland would be tripartite in nature involving the state government. 

Earlier, the Prime Minister had written to Mamata saying, “I have instructed the central government personnel that any meeting with the GJM leadership should be held in consultation with the state government and that they should keep you informed of developments.” 

Reacting to the Delhi development, GJM spokesperson Harka Bahadur Chettri said, “Are the Gorkhas outcast slaves? 

Can’t we meet out own home minister? Why do we need a mediator?” He dubbed this derogatory. 

“The government has least concern for us and the Hills. This is not the character of good governance. The government wants peace and stability. So long as the problem remains there will be no peace and stability. The public will agitate and they have the right to agitate. The problem can be resolved only through dialogue and it seems the government does not want to resolve it across the table,” said Chettri. 

The Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee, a conglomeration of pro-Gorkhaland forces led by the GJM, will meet on Tuesday to chart the future course of action and discuss the Delhi development. 

Meanwhile, raids and the spate of arrests continued. Meera Sharma, municipal councillor of Ward 1 of Darjeeling, was arrested on Friday evening along with 58 arrests throughout the Hills on Friday. 

On Saturday, the police arrested GJM supporters Rajib Gazmer and Gyani Subba from Kalimpong in connection with an extortion bid case. 

The duo had been allegedly threatening a scribe and businessman Ajay Agarwal of Kalimpong demanding R5 lakh and threatening him with dire consequences if he failed to pay up. 

Agarwal lodged an FIR at Kalimpong police station. The police also arrested one Ashoke Periwal alias Munna from Kalimpong. 

“He is supposed to be Bimal Gurung’s financier and fund manager,” a police source said.

(source & courtesy: http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx)