GJM Dharna in New Delhi

Rajesh Sharma, KalimNews, 14 December 2013: Around 2500 GJMM supporters gathered at Jantar Mantar of New Delhi on the second day of Dharna organized by GJM. GJM supporters from Delhi NCR, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Dehradun, Chandigarh including the north eastern states and Darjeeling along with GJM Central Committee leaders Roshan Giri, Asha Gurung, Dawa Lama along with Sabhasads of GTA, Mr Swaraj Thapa- Senior Journalist participated in the Dharna.

GJM representatives of several units of Kalimpong Bong Busty, Darjeeling Town Committee, Mirik, Kurseong, Dooars, actively participated in the rally. Dharna started in the morning by supporters chanting slogans like “We want Gorkhaland” “We want justice”.

A protest march was also held from Jantar Mantar to Parliament Street police station. The idea was to lead the protest up to Parliament complex so that the message and voice of Gorkhas reaches the legislators of Parliament but protesters were stopped midway by Delhi police personnel. However, a rally from Rajghat to Jantar mantar is already scheduled for tomorrow and protesters are likely to march up to the premises of Parliament chanting slogans for Gorkhaland.

As the bill for Telangana is likely to be passed in the parliament in the ongoing winter session but the GJM supporters think that the government is depriving Gorkha community which has served the country with utmost faith and loyalty, a participant said. The demand of Gorkhaland cannot be put in cold storage by the government merely for the sake of its political convenience he added. 

Ranjan Sharma –Genaral Secretary of Delhi GJM has said that Memorandum has been submitted today in the office of Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, President and Smt Sonia Gandhi. 

Ranjan says that in the Memorandum we have mentioned that Gorkha is a competent, deserving but a deprived minority community fighting in a peaceful manner for their justified demand. We have also elaborated on the fact that having only three Assembly seats in the state Assembly and one Member of Parliament in Loksabha is no criteria for keeping our statehood demand in cold storage. 

Nowhere in the Constitution of India or any other law of land has it been mentioned that a minority community having limited seats in the state Assembly as well as Loksabha cannot be granted statehood. 

The proposition of creation of small states have been tried and tested in Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Chattisgarh and other smaller states and the writing is on the wall. It makes administration easier and effective, improvement in the economic growth of the region, therefore Gorkhaland is not only a political demand but also an economically and administratively justified demand. Ranjan further says that GJM Delhi team is hopeful that something fruitful and concrete will come up from the ongoing protest by GJM in the capital city.