A clarion call to BJP and GJM...Parties under pressure live up to the Gorkhaland promise

Amitava Banerjee, HT, 17 May 2014: DARJEELING: With Narendra Modi all set to alight upon the Delhi throne, proGorkhaland forces have given a clarion call to the BJP and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) to live up to their assurance of formation of a separate state. These outfits have pointed out that the political environment in the country is conducive for the formation of the promised land.

With SS Ahluwalia, the GJM-backed BJP candidate from Darjeeling emerging victorious, the pro-Gorkhaland forces have demanded that the people’s mandate is for Gorkhaland and both political outfits will have to show sincerity towards the greater cause.

“We are for Gorkhaland and this is why we supported the BJP and not the Trinamool Congress. We trust the BJP. This is the only party that can give us Gorkhaland. Even Modiji during his speech in Siliguri on April 10 made it clear that the dream of the Gorkhas is his dream,” said GJM president Bimal Gurung.

“If Gorkhaland cannot be formed in the existing political condition then it will never be formed. During our deputation to the then home minister LK Advani in 1998, the conditions that the veteran BJP leader had stressed upon for the formation of Gorkhaland are all present now. Thus it is time for both the BJP and the GJM to display their sincerity to the cause,” said Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist spokes person Govind Chettri.

Chettri said that way back in 1998 he was part of a youth delegation of his party to Delhi with the demand of Gorkhaland. “Advani as the home minister had told us that the BJP was well aware of the separate state demand and the contribution of the Gorkhas in safeguarding the borders of our country,” said Chettri.

“However, he had told us that the BJP was running a coalition with 26 parties. However, he had told us to get public mandate on the issue when the BJP is in a majority.“All these criteria can be fulfilled now. The BJP is in majority at the Centre and the GJM, a pro-Gorkhaland force have absolute majority in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA),” claimed Chettri.

Chettri stated that the elected GTA Sabha should immediately adopt a pro-Gorkhaland resolution and send it to the BJP led Government at the Centre. “After this all 45 elected members of the GJM should resign from the GTA. This will help create adequate pressure on both the TMC-run state Government and the BJP-run Centre. The government will then be forced to consider an alternative to the GTA and that can only be Gorkhaland,” added Chettri.