Morcha claim

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, March 18: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today claimed that Union home minister, Rajnath Singh, had assured the party that he would talk to the Prime Minister and BJP president Amit Shah on expediting the process of forming a committee that would examine the demand for Gorkhaland.

A seven-member delegation led by Morcha president Bimal Gurung today called on Singh in Delhi. The delegation members included Darjeeling MP S.S. Ahluwalia and Morcha leaders, Roshan Giri, Binay Tamang, Anit Thapa, Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Arun Sigchi.

Speaking over the phone from Delhi, Tamang said: "The Union home minister has assured the delegation that he will talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on expediting the process of forming the committee to examine our demand for Gorkhaland."

Ahluwalia, while raising the Gorkhaland issue in Parliament yesterday, had requested the Centre to form a committee to look into the demand.

On November 24, 2014, the Morcha had claimed that the Union home minister had promised the constitution of the committee to examine the statehood demand.