Ready to face elections: GJM

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 23 Sep 2018 | Darjeeling: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Sunday declared that they are ready to face elections. The statement comes on the heels of hill opposition parties raising finger at the state government extending the tenure of the Board of Administrators, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) for another six months. 

Incidentally, the GTA Board of Administrators has Binay Tamang as the Chairman and Anit Thapa as the vice-chairman. Tamang and Thapa are also the president and vice-president of the GJM.

With the recent extension of the Board of Administrators, opposition parties have upped the ante and claimed that as the GJM is afraid to face elections, the state government has been extending the tenure of the Board. 

The GJM Core Committee met in Darjeeling on Sunday. Following the meeting, Suraj Sharma, GJM Spokesperson, stated: "The GJM is ready to face both GTA and MP elections. We had also requested the state government to hold early elections to the GTA."

The core committee also reiterated their stand of Darjeeling and Kalimpong as a strike-free zone. 

Hence, they will not be supporting BJP's 12 hour Bangla Bandh, slated for September 26. Incidentally, BJP has called the bandh as a mark of protest against the alleged killing of two student agitators in police firing in Islampur in the North Dinajpur district. 

"Our sincere condolences are with the families of the deceased. 

However, we will not support the BJP bandh. During the agitation in the hills and the 104 day long bandh in 2017, 13 people had died," said Sharma.