BJP manifesto mum on Gorkhaland....BJP candidate ss Ahluwalia said Gorkhaland issue will appear in the addendum

SNS, Kurseong/Darjeeling, 7 April 2014:BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate for the Darjeeling seat, SS Ahluwalia, today clarified that the Gorkhaland issue will figure in his party’s manifesto as an addendum.
The clarification follows uproar in the Hills and the plains over the BJP election manifesto that was unveiled today in New Delhi. While the document pledges to provide good governance and inclusive development in the country, it is silent on the Gorkhaland issue.
The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) that has supported Mr Ahluwalia has been claiming that the BJP is in favour of creating smaller states and that the party will surely consider the statehood demand if it comes to power at the Centre.
Mr Ahluwalia today said in Sonada, where he held a public rally, that the manifesto’s addendum will arrive soon and that the BJP will sympathetically examine and appropriately consider the long-pending demands of the Gorkhas, the Adivasis and other people of Darjeeling district and Dooars region. He claimed that he has already informed of the matter to the party’s senior leadership and that the top leaders have agreed to send the addendum on the Gorkhaland issue. He also vowed that the tribal status as demanded by 10 different Gorkha communities will be met.GJMM chief Bimal Gurung, who flanked Mr Ahluwalia in today’s rally, meanwhile said his party is still sincere when it comes to the aspirations of the people and the demand for Gorkhaland.
Reacting to the Gorkhaland issue missing in the BJP manifesto, spokesperson of the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM) Govind Chhetri said the BJP poll document “proves that the party is in favour of communities that form the majority and not the ones in the minority.” He was referring to the Bengali community that forms the majority and the Gorkhas who are a minority in the state.
Mr Chhetri also threw out a challenge. "If the BJP re-publishes its manifesto five days before voting begins here and includes the word Gorkhaland in it, the CPRM will support the party in the general elections," he said.
"If Telangana could be mentioned in the manifesto, why not Gorkhaland?"
Pratap Khati, the general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League, said. "This proves that the GJMM and the BJP candidate had been telling lies to the people all this time," he added.
“We have talked to the higher authorities of the BJP in Delhi and they have assured to look into the matter," GJMM general secretary Roshan Giri said in Darjeeling.


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KalimNews: Page 8 of the manifesto under the subtitle Regional aspiration states "Regional aspirations: BJP has always stood for greater decentralization through smaller States."

BJP on Monday released its manifesto pledging to end policy paralysis, corruption and "tax terrorism" while opposing FDI in multi-brand retail. But, the party stuck to its core agenda of Ram Temple construction, Uniform Civil Code and abrogation of Article 370 that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Here are the highlights of the BJP manifesto 2014

— The party reiterates its stand to explore all possibilities within framework of Constitution to facilitate construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. 

— Reiterating its stand on Art 370 and discussing with all stakeholders for abrogation of the Article. 

— Ensuring minimisation of black money and setting up of a task force for this purpose. 

— Putting in place strict measures and special courts to stop hoarding and black marketing. 

— Setting up a Price Stabilisation Fund. - Unbundling FCI operations into procurement, storage and distribution for greater efficiency. 

— Evolving a single National Agriculture Market. - Promoting and support area specific crops and vegetables linked to food habits of the people. 

— Developing high impact domains like labour intensive manufacturing, tourism, and strengthening traditional employment bases of agriculture and allied industry. 

— Harnessing opportunities provided by the upgradation of infrastructure and housing. 

— Encouraging and empowering youth for self employment and transforming employment exchanges into career centres. 

— Eliminating corruption through public awareness, e-governance, rationalisation and simplification of tax regime. 

— Harmonising Centre-state relations by evolving model of national development driven by the states. 

— Setting up a Team India initiative which will include the PM and CMs as equal partners. 

— Ensure fiscal autonomy of states and creation of regional councils of states of common problems and concerns, 

— National Development Council and Inter-state Council will be revived and made into active body. 

— Involving state governments in promotion of foreign trade and commerce. 

— Greater decentralisation through smaller states. Special emphasis on improving connectivity in Northeast region. 

— Massive infrastructure development in NE region. Complete all pending fencing work along the India-Bangladesh and India-Myanmar border. 

— Dealing with insurgency with a firm hand. 

— BJP to draft a Uniform Civil Code drawing upon the best traditions and harmonising them with the modern times. 

— Foreign policy will be guided through pragmatism and doctrines of mutually beneficial and interlocking relationships. 

— Launching a massive Clean Rivers Programme with people's participation. 

— Pursuing friendly relations with neighbours and at the same time not hesitate from taking strong stand when required. 

— Reviving the anti-terror mechanism which has been dismantled by the Congress and putting in place swift and fair trial of terror-related cases. 

— Insulate intelligence agencies from political intervention and interference. 

— Strengthening DRDO and encourage private sector participation including FDI in selected defence industries. 

— Strengthening physical infrastructure with expediting work on freight and industrial corridors. 

— Setting up of gas grids and national optical fibre network upto the village level. 

— Launching of diamond quadrilateral project of high-speed rail network (Bullet trains). 

— Setting up of agri rail network catering to needs of perishable farm products. 

— Launching of 50 new tourist circuits for the development of tourism. 

— Universalisation of secondary school education and skill development and establishment of national e-library. 

— Implementation of national education policy.UGC to be restructured and transformed into higher education commission. 

— Ensuring urgent steps for safety of migrant workers and communities from Northeast and other states. 

— Pursuing an agenda of equal and rapid development of all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir -- Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. 

— Return of Kashmiri Pandits to the land of their ancestors with full dignity and security. 

— Evolving further the PPP model into a People-Public-Private Partnership (PPPP). 

— Strengthening self-governance and empowering Panchayati Raj institutions with a devolution of functionaries and funds. 

— Consolidating Gram Sabha institutions, involving people, in policy formation.