Mamata banerjee promises to release withheld salaries of all employees...CM appeals for development

SNS, Darjeeling, 24 October 2013: The chief minister of the state, speaking at her party's first convention held at Chowrasta in Darjeeling, today appealed for peace and friendship in the Hills and said she wants the people running the GTA to go all out for development and not bandhs. 

Miss Mamata Banerjee also announced the government will release the withheld salaries of all the employees that the state government had put an embargo on owing to the recent statehood agitation and bandhs by the Gorkhaland conglomerates. 

“I’m releasing the withheld salaries of all the employees on the condition that they will never join bandhs,” said the chief minister. In the same vein, she said she doesn’t have enmity with anyone, referring, apparently to the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leaders. 

She said: “I love Darjeeling and its people, it is the heart of Bengal. It is easy to break the heart but hard to fix. Let us be together. It is useless to fight as we are all Indians.” 

She further added: “A month-long bandh owing to the agitation hampered Hills tourism, education and every sector of the business communities. I never wanted this, but now I want the same people to run the GTA but head for development and not bandhs.” 

“I will have malls built here. I want as many shops, hotels to operate. I want all business communities to flourish. I want tourism to flourish. I want to make Sandakphu the next Darjeeling,” the chief minister said. 

She then added: “Can Bengal leave you? Can you leave Bengal?” The chief minister said a cultural festival will be organised in Darjeeling. 

“With all the communities of West Bengal, I shall organise a cultural festival here and will exhibit to the world what Darjeeling is all about,” she added. 

She also recited the famous top two lines of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem ~ When the mind is without fear and when the head is held high. 

“To held the head high doesn’t refer to filling pockets. It means the head is held high through service towards people, peace, progress, development and doing what is right,” she said. She added: “I have never done anything wrong and can never do wrong.” 

Unlike her previous announcement at the same venue where she had said that ‘Bengal will not be divided’, the chief minister this time chose her words carefully. 

However, sticking to the lines that the state government would never budge on the issue of bifurcating the state, Miss Banerjee said: “I will help with anything but will never leave Darjeeling.” 

The Trinamul Congress meeting today passed off peacefully with thousands gathered to witness the occasion with security beefed up to the hilt. 

Later, in a separate meet with reporters, the chief minister said to meet the three Hills' MLAs Mr Harka Bahadur Chhetri, Trilok Dewan and Rohit Sharma tomorrow at Richmond Hill, Darjeeling at 2 p.m. 

“They will meet me tomorrow and they have said to hold a discussion regarding GTA.” When asked whether or not she would meet the members of the GTA or the leaders of the GJMM, she said: “It is not my problem, they have to decide first.” 

Meanwhile, in a move seen to counter the party’s first convention held today, the senior leaders of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha has said to organise a public meeting in Darjeeling on 27 October.