Morcha camps laud CM word- Both the factions of the GJM have wel­comed CM's statement on perma­nent political solution

REZA PRADHAN, SNS, DARJELLING : Both the factions of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha have wel­comed Chief Minister Mama­ta Banerjee's statement that the state government would provide the region with the much-talked-about 'perma­nent political solution (PPS).

In  a press release, the Mor­cha (Binoy Tamang camp) general secretary, Anit Thapa, thanked the CM for the same and said, "I, on behalf of the Morcha and people of Dar­jeeling and Kalimpong hills, ardently applaud and thank your gesture."

"You have rightfully under­stood the issues of the Gorkhas. Besides, we would like to ensure that development of our hills is moving  towards t he pos­itive direction. We also want to tell you that peace and tranquility of the area is our utmost priority. We are thank­ful to your promise for resolv­ing our issue related to the PPS," he added. Asked what the PPS the CM would have meant, Tamang camp spokesperson Keshav Raj Pokhrel said, "It is for the BJP and their alliance parties like the GNLF to clar­ify on that, along with their for­mer alliance partner, the Bimal Gurung faction of the Morcha, as they were the ones who won  the elections, promising a PPS for this area.

Meanwhile, both Morcha leaders Binoy Tamang and Anit Thapa left for Kolkata today with party leaders main­taining it was for an "emergent political assignment."

On the other hand, when contacted, Morcha general secretary of the other faction, Roshan Giri, also said they wel­comed the CM's statement and that they are hopeful that she would work for a PPS.

"Her statement has 'nought about an enthusiasm among the people of the Hills, Terai and Dooars. The BJP on the other hand only gave false assurances on the issue and did nothing," Mr Giri said.

The spokesman for the Communist Party of Revolu­tionary Marxist, Gobind Chet­tri, said, "Let her pass the PPS she is talking about in the state Assembly and forward it to the Centre.

GNLF leaders, however, did not want to comment on the issue. A meeting of the GNLF team that is visiting Delhi with Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled for tomorrow.

Join tripartite talks: Bista to Mamata

On the other hand, Dar­jeeling' s BJP MP Raju Bista said the state government's version of the PPS, the Gorkhaland Ter­ritorial Administration, had already been rejected by the people. "Mamata Banerjee today conveniently bragged that she will grant Perma­nent Political Solution for Darjeeling region. Mamata ji, your version of PPS-the Gorkhaland TerritorialAdmin­istration (GTA)--has already been rejected by the people from our region," he said.

"If Mamata ji is sincere in her claims, I humbly request her to please prove it by join­ing the tripartite talks that have been repeatedly called by t he Union Home Ministry to work towards the PPS," Mr Bista, also the BJP's national spokesper­son, added.

"The people from Dar­jeeling Hills,Terai and Dooars would not fall for your trick­ery again, they would not agree to another stop-gap arrangement like GTA- 1 or GTA- 2, and you are not empowered to want anything other than temporary mea­sures," Mr Bista said.

"So I challenge Mamata Banerjee to please stop bluff­ing the people and prove her honesty by joining the tri­partite talks, so that a Per­manent Political Solution under the Constitution that will usher in peace, prosperity and progress in the region can be arrived at, at the ear­liest," he said.

Reacting to the CM's speech in Jalpaiguri, the MP further said: "The false façade of bravado put up by the TMC chief came crumbling down at her Jalpaiguri rally today, where she was literally heard questioning the people of North Bengal as to why BJP won all the seats in North Bengal, while  TMC got zero?"