Morcha to agitate in Delhi for Gorkhaland

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Feb. 26: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to hold dharnas and rallies for nine days from March 9 in New Delhi to "draw the Centre's attention" to the party's demand for the creation of Gorkhaland during the ongoing budget session of Parliament.

The party had announced that a two-day dharna and a public meeting would be staged in Delhi in December but later suspended the agitation citing Union home minister Rajnath Singh's purported assurance to set up a committee to look into the demand for Gorkhaland.

Binay Tamang, the assistant secretary of the Morcha, today, said: "From March 9, the Morcha will be organising rallies and dharnas in Delhi for nine days. They will be held at Jantar Mantar to draw the Centre's attention to the Gorkhaland demand during the ongoing budget session."

He said all chairpersons, vice-chairpersons and elected members of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik municipalities would participate in the Delhi agitation.

"There are 84 elected representatives at the four municipalities. The Morcha has decided to send 21 members of the Vidyarthi Morcha to Delhi. Other central committee members will also leave for Delhi but their names have not been finalised yet," said Tamang.

The party will hold a meeting at the Gorkha Rangamanch Bhavan in Darjeeling on March 2 to concretise the Delhi agitation plains.

Tamang said a delegation of Morcha leaders was likely to meet Union ministers during their nine-day stay in Delhi. "The details will be finalised at the March 2 meeting," he added.

Observers believe the Morcha is trying to send a message that the party is still serious about the statehood demand by holding the agitation during the budget session.

The budget session, which started on February 23, will continue till March 20. There will be a recess from March 21 till April 19, after which the standing committees will examine demand for grants to various ministries.

Around 33 sittings of Parliament are scheduled to be held during the budget session.