Morcha wing wants Rajnath to invite GTA

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Aug 30, 2018, Darjeeling: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's student wing has written to Union home minister Rajnath Singh, demanding that GTA representatives be called for official level talks.

The letter assumes significant as the Darjeeling's BJP MP, S.S. Ahluwalia, had recently led a delegation comprising Bimal Gurung loyalists and called on Singh.

Roshan Giri had then claimed through social media that "Shri Ahluwalia requested Home Minister to convene an official level meeting as promised by Honb'le Home Minister on 26th September2017 when the 104 days bandh was withdrawn".

The letter written by the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha, a copy of which has also been forwarded to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, is likely to put the home ministry in a tight spot as Binay Tamang is currently heading the GTA.

"After months of hardships the present administrators of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration have been able to bring back normalcy n the strategically sensitive area pertaining to national security......With regard to the above mentioned facts, we sincerely request your esteemed office to kindly involve the present Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Administrators in future dialogue process," the letter signed by Biswas Gurung, the general secretary of the Vidyarthi Morcha, reads.

Observers say the Union home ministry cannot afford to ignore Tamang in "official level" talks as he is at the helm of the GTA.

"If the GTA is not invited, the official level talks could be a no-starter. In fact, there could be opposition even from the state government if the local body is ignored," said an observer.

"The fact that the elected civic bodies of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, along with the MLAs of Darjeeling and Kurseong, are with Binay Tamang would make it difficult for the Union home ministry to call an official level meeting without Tamang," said an observer.

Many believe Bimal Gurung's faction is hoping that the home ministry will call them to a meeting.