Morcha plans dharna of 10,000 in Delhi for Gorkhaland - Hill party to pool in Rs 25 lakh from GTA members’ two-month salaries to meet expenses for agitation

Roshan Giri speaks to journalists in Darjeeling on Monday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Roshan Giri speaks to journalists in Darjeeling on Monday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Sept. 8: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to organise a two-day dharna in New Delhi later this year with “10,000 party supporters” to press for the creation of Gorkhaland, an agitation programme whose expenses will be partly funded from the two-month salaries of GTA Sabha members.

Sources said the decision to organise a dharna in Delhi was part of the party’s policy to organise the Gorkhaland agitation only in Delhi and not in Darjeeling in the future.

The Morcha had announced the policy during its campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

A central committee meeting of the Morcha was held today at Gorkha Rangamanch Bhavan in Darjeeling where the decision to hold the dharna either at November-end or in the first week of December was taken.

Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said: “The central committee has decided to raise the issue of Gorkhaland in Delhi. We will hold a two-day dharna followed by a meeting in Delhi. The dharna will be held at Jantar Matar either at November-end or in the first week of December and we are preparing to take 10,000 supporters from across the country to the capital. Around 90 per cent of the supporters will be from the Darjeeling hills.”

Giri said each GTA Sabha member from the Morcha would contribute two-month salaries to meet the expenses for the dharna.

The chief executive of the GTA gets a monthly honorarium of Rs 50,000, while his deputy draws a salary of Rs 45,000.

The monthly salaries of the chairman and the deputy chairman of the GTA Sabha are Rs 40,000 and Rs 35,000, respectively. An executive Sabha member is entitled to a salary of Rs 30,000.

An elected GTA member gets a monthly honorarium of Rs 25,000, while the nominated members receive Rs 10,000 each. There are 14 executive GTA Sabha members, including the chief executive, deputy chief, and the chairman and the vice-chairman of the GTA Sabha.

Apart from the 14 executive GTA Sabha members, the hill body has 31 elected members. Of the five nominated members, two are from the Morcha.

This essentially means the Morcha will be collecting over Rs 25 lakh from the GTA members for the dharna.

Giri said the party had also decided to serve showcause notices on any central committee member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the panel in the future. The Morcha central committee has 96 members.

“We have decided to take steps to strengthen the party. Apart from issuing showcause notices, we have also decided to dissolve the Darjeeling town committee. The functions of the town committee will be overseen by the Darjeeling subdivisional committee for the time being,” said Giri.

He didn’t say if there was any specific reason for the dissolution of the Darjeeling town committee.

The party has also decided to organise its foundation day on October 7 in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik. “The programme in Darjeeling will be celebrated in a grand manner. Our party president Bimal Gurung will be present at the Darjeeling event,”