Chief minister wants to delete ‘Gorkhaland’ from GTA: Gurung

HT, 7 November, SILIGURI: Gurung, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president and chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), claimed on Sunday that the state government is hell-bent on deleting the word ‘Gorkhaland’ from the GTA in a bid to crush the movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

Addressing aG J Mr ally in Mi rik on Sunday, Gurungs aid ,“The chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, is desperate to win the GTA election likely to be held in July 2017 so that she can change the name of GTA.” She is allergic to the word Gorkhaland which was inscribed in the GTA through a tripartite GTA accord signed in July 2011, Gurung said, adding that the chief minister has now realised that she had made a blunder by agreeing to the word ‘Gorkhaland’ in GTA.

“Now by capturing the GTA by any means, she wants to do away with the word Gorkhaland from GTA and change its name to something else,” Grung said. “But winning the GTA election would be her wild dream,” the GJM president said claiming the GJM will swipe all the three elections: municipality, panchayat and GTA, lined up in the next few months.

On the panchayat election in the hills for which the state government is likely to issue notification in days, Gurung said, “We are ready for the election but there should be three-tier panchayat election as per the GTA agreement and Act.” If the state government imposes two-tier panchyat election we will move court,” said Gurung.

Sunday’s meeting in Mirik was a part of the GJM’s public contact exercise at a time when it has substantially lost its support base at the hands of TMC, GNLF and Jan Andolan Party.

Gurung on Sunday reiterated that GJM has full faith in PM Narendra Modi that he would positively look into the demand for creation of separate state of Gorkhaland. He also announced that the GJM would hold relay hunger strike in Delhi from December 12 to 16. The GT A elect eds ab has ads, GJM MLAs, municipality chairmen, vice chairmen and commissioners and GJM supporters from Hills, Terai and Dooars would participate in the hunger strike.