Schools, colleges to reopen in Hills, no time frame yet

Deep Gazmer, TNN | Sep 2, 2013, DARJEELING: Days before chief minister Mamata Banerjee sets foot on Hills, the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee (GJAC) on Sunday agreed to allow schools and colleges to reopen, wilting to pressure within its member constituents.

Though no time frame was given, the decision came after a three-hour GJAC deliberation. The decision intriguingly, also coincided with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung dubbing the Centre - and not Bengal - to be their enemy number one.

Addressing media persons at the GJM party office at Singamari, 4 km from Darjeeling town, GJAC chairman Enos Das Pradhan said, "We had a one-point agenda to discuss. When to reopen the educational institutes." When quizzed on the possible dates, Pradhan admitted to the constraints. "There is an ongoing agitation for a separate state. If we allow the schools and colleges to reopen, issues like also allowing markets, vehicular services and offices to open has to be addressed too. So, we require some time". He, however, did hint exemptions would be possible only after September 5.

Earlier in the day, the GJM had organized a public meeting along with the Janmukti Secondary Teacher's Organization (JSTO) and Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha (GJVM), two of its frontal organizations. Heads of schools and colleges, too, were invited to participate. In the meeting, GJM president Bimal Gurung indicated, "Some relaxation for education will be announced but all schools must talk about the Gorkhaland issue in the morning assembly. Education without jobs are useless. Look at the graduates of the Hills and where they are. Where are the jobs? Where is the government? I am not telling you not to study but agitation is part of the education." Pradhan, later, said, "We are very concerned about the future of the students."

It was the same meeting in which Gurung chose to train its guns at the Centre. "Our fight is not against Bengal, our fight is against the Centre. When we signed the GTA agreement, the Centre said they didn't have the mandate to give us a state, so we took GTA on temporary basis. The GTA pact was signed without dropping the demand of Gorkhaland. But within a year, the central government declared Telangana. So, it must also declare Gorkhaland now. I have told the GJMM's Central Committee and other frontal organisation that I will not entertain any other arrangement other than Gorkhaland. No more compromise on the Gorkhaland demand. I am here only for Gorkhaland," Gurung said.

Meanwhile, On the same day Gurung chose to say this - Sunday -a six-member delegation of former and present Gorkha MPs and MLAs left for New Delhi on Sunday to meet and request the central ministers for their intervention. bring to end the current impasse.

The delegation includes, present MLAs Harka Bahadur Chhetri, Rohit Sharma and Trilok Dewan from GJM along with former MLAs D K Pradhan and Gaulan Lepcha also from the same party. Former MPs are RB Rai from the CPRM and K. B. Chhetri of the Congress. Jaswant Singh the BJP MP from Darjeeling will join the delegation in Delhi.

Gurung also said that the GJAC is happy that the Lepchas have responded to the request made by them to lift their dharna at Kalimpong. All India Lepcha Association was observing a relay hunger strike to demand for Gorkhaland and to condemn the "divide and rule" policy of the Government.