Cry for Gorkhaland renewed at meet

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 3 October 2019, Darjeeling: A GNLF-called convention on Wednesday passed a resolution saying its understanding of a "permanent political solution is Gorkhaland" and urged Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista to impress upon the Centre "to open a dialogue" on the issue.

The GNLF had called the all-party meet in Darjeeling and invited 20 political and apolitical parties, including Trinamul and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (both Binay Tamang and Bimal Gurung camps), CPRM, JAP and the ABGL among others.

Apart from GNLF, six other representatives of political and apolitical organisations were present.

Munish Tamang, working president of the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh who moderated the meeting, said the agenda was to discuss "the permanent political solution" and the "repeated extensions of (the board of administrators) of the GTA". The Parisangh is an apolitical organisation.

The BJP had offered a "commitment" for a "permanent political solution" in the hills in its election manifesto for this year's Lok Sabha elections.

The convention in Darjeeling on Wednesday Terming the meeting "fruitful and productive", Munish Tamang said the participants had resolved that "a permanent political solution" was the need of the hour as "GTA does not fulfil the aspiration of the hill people". There was also a view that repeated extensions (to Binay faction leaders in the GTA board) was "politically illegal, immoral, unethical" and complete disdain of the people's mandate by the state government apart from an indication of "breakdown of political institutions and collapse of political system"In the light of the above understanding …….the permanent political solution is creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland and with this understanding different parties and hill people had supported the BJP (in the last elections)," said Munish Tamang.

The meeting resolved to urge Bista, the BJP MP, to work towards opening a dialogue between political parties and government on the issue of permanent solution. This will help "the hill parties understand the government's viewpoint".

The leaders also urged Darjeeling and Kalimpong MLAs, Neeraj Zimba and Sarita Rai, respectively, to make submissions to the state government and the Bengal governor on the resolution passed on Wednesday.

Bista was invited to the meet but the MP was absent. Neeraj Zimba, the GNLF leader who won the Darjeeling Assembly seat on a BJP ticket, was present.