GTA can spark Hills unrest, says Mann Ghising

TNN | Jan 29, 2018, DARJEELING: GNLF president Mann Ghising on Sunday termed the board of administrator-run Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) a "dangerous arrangement" that had the potential to spark unrest in the Hills and demanded the state government dissolve it.

At a public meeting at Darjeeling Motor Stand, Ghising said: "The GTA is more corrupt than before...The BoA is like some sort of a camp or group. We fear it will create unrest in the region in the coming days. The state government should give this a serious thought and dissolve it immediately." Appointed a BoA member, Ghising has refused to accept the post.

The GNLF had organized Sunday's event as "Sardhanjali meeting" to pay tribute to former party president Subash Ghising, who died in 2015.

Pitching for bringing Darjeeling Hills under the ambit of the Constitution's sixth schedule, Ghising said the party was working on finding a permanent solution. "We don't accept the GTA, whose constitutional validity is challenged. We have already started talks with the government to find a permanent solution. We feel sixth schedule is the stepping stone to the permanent solution, which is already on the negotiating table," he said.

The GNLF leader added the party would knock on the Supreme Court's doors to incorporate the Darjeeling hill region legally in the Union territory.