Gurung mocks Delhi Hill meet as 'photo session'

SNS, DARJEELING, 22 DECEMBER 20 : Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung today termed a meeting between Hill leaders and Home Minister Amit Shah a 'photo session' and said that the Centre had given him "such false assurances" many times in the past.

Some leaders of BJP alliance parties from the Hills, including the Gorkha National Liberation Front, Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist and All India Gorkha League yesterday met Mr Shah in Delhi and discussed issues related to Hills, including the promised 'Permanent Political Solution' and inclusion of 11 Gorkha communities in the Scheduled Tribe list. After the meeting , the Hill leaders claimed that the Centre would grant the ST status to the communities ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.

Speaking to reporters at his party office at Patlebas on the outskirts of Darjeeling town, Mr Gurung said: " I saw an all-party delegation meeting the Home Minister, which I also did a lot of times in the past, and the Centre gave us a lot of such false assurances that they will do something. In fact, the HM had also told me that granting of tribal status was in his hands and asked me to take it whenever I went back, and now the same thing is happening with the all-party delegation."

Mr Gurung reached his party office after over three years today.

"The party leaders who met the HM yesterday do not know the political issues of Amit Shah, the Prime minister and their BJP state in-charge. The PM had also announced the tribal status, so when will it be fulfilled? Issues like Kashmir being bifurcated and NRC were implemented, but what about our demands?" questioned Mr Gurung, adding that the all-party leaders should find out if the BJP had sympathy towards them.

Maintaining that the Delhi meeting yesterday was just a "photo session," he said, "I had enough of these sessions, as apart from the HM also met a lot of senior BJP leaders and were given similar assurances, but nothing happened, which was the reason I broke off our alliance with the BJP"