GNLF wants constitution protection for Gorkhas

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, Siliguri:  The GNLF said on Monday that it would demand constitutional protection of Gorkhas in the hills and other parts of the country at the bipartite talks on Tuesday.

Mahendra Chhetri, the general secretary of the GNLF, said the constitutional protection was available to communities like Mizo, Garo, Naga and Khasi in the Northeast.

"We will demand constitutional protection from the state government at the fourth round of bipartite talks. There are provisions under articles 244 and 275 (1) of the Constitution to give such protection," said Chhetri.

While article 244 mentions the administration of scheduled and tribal areas, article 275 (1) contains details regarding allotment of funds to such regions. "We had consulted legal experts and want to ensure that our community gets the protection. If we can attain it, it would largely help in achieving other demands, including the separate state," Chhetri said.

The Jana Andolan Party said on Monday that it would skip the meeting on Tuesday, alleging that the talks had been reduced to discussions on the GTA and not Gorkhaland. The party had attended the first and second rounds of talks but did not attend the third meeting.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RAJEEV RAVIDAS IN KALIMPONG