Darjeeling gets a Puja gift: 104-day strike off after Rajnath Singh appeal to Gurung

Darjeeling Town: Photo courtesy- NBT

TNN, Sep 27, 2017, KOLKATA/ DARJEELING: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung on Tuesday night declared an end to the ongoing strike in Darjeeling Hills from 6 am on Wednesday, shortly after Union home minister Rajnath Singh appealed to him to put an end to the 104-day shutdown.

In a statement, the home minister said in a democracy, dialogue was the only way out to resolve any problem and solutions could be found through restraint and talks within the legal ambit. Singh also said he had asked home secretary Rajiv Gauba to convene "an official-level meeting" at North Block within a fortnight to discuss all related issues.

Significantly, the statement bore no reference to either the Bengal government or the 'tripartite talks' that the GJM chief had been insisting on.

Singh's offer of talks within a fortnight indicates that the North Block parleys will be held before the third leg of the bilateral dialogues scheduled in Kolkata on October 16. In the first two meetings, CM Mamata Banerjee had clearly told the Hills leaders that the "Gorkhaland demand" wasn't within the state's ambit to even discuss, let alone decide. She had, however, pitched for a "permanent solution" to end the recurring agitation erupting in the Hills since the '80s.

Singh's statement came at a time when Gurung was under increasing pressure to call off the strike. Police action had alr-eady forced him to go underground. The Bengal government had formed a board to run the defunct GTA and foisted rebel leader Binay Tamang at its top. The traders had announced their decision to return to business and vehicles had started moving between the Hills and the plains. Above all, more and more people were stepping out to go about their normal business every day. The only factor that had kept the strike going was Gurung's audio messages holding out the threat of violence.

Faced with the prospect of losing relevance in the Hills, Gurung issued another of his audio messages on Tuesday morning, saying he would wait for one more week for the Centre to initiate talks. "If it does not happen, we will decide our next course of action and the agitation will turn violent," he had warned. Singh's statement was precisely the window the GJM chief was looking for. He latched on to it and immediately called off the strike without any tangible gains other than the Centre's offer for talks.

"After Rajnath Singh's appeal, we had a discussion with senior leaders, including GJM chief Bimal Gurung, and decided to withdraw the shutdown from 6 am tomorrow (Wednesday)," GJM assistant general secretary Jyoti Rai said.

The home minister's statement was nuanced. "On the call of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) an indefinite strike is currently on in the Darjeeling Hills since June 12. Eleven precious lives have been lost so far, several have been injured and the entire people of Darjeeling Hills have suffered a lot since the strike. I have been pained immensely by what has happened in Darjeeling Hills. In a democracy, dialogue is the only way out to resolve any problem. Solutions can be found through restraint, mutual dialogue and within the legal ambit," he said.

The statement appealed to "the GJM and its leader Shri Bimal Gurung to withdraw the ongoing bandh and to help create a conducive atmosphere for allowing normalcy to return to the area, particularly in view of the festive season".