Morcha 'proposal' to state urges 'total implementation' of GTA pact

REZA PRADHAN, SNS, DARJEELING, 9 MAY 2022: The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha today submitted a "memorandum of proposal" to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, wherein the party has appealed for 'complete implementation' of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

The party has said that this should be done before elections to the GTA are conducted.

According to the party, a "whole-hearted implementation" of the same would set the "ball rolling for a political solution" to the long-pending grievances of the Indian Gorkhas inhabiting regions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Terai and the Dooars.

According to Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri, they have submitted the draft proposal to the CM through the state Power, Youth Affairs & Sports Minister, Aroop Biswas.

A "forwarding letter" signed by Mr Giri himself says: "We hope the proposal will be accepted and implemented so that all the impediments and hindrances in the path of an honourable political solution are removed."

The proposal maintains that the demand for a political solution had come up due to the "non- implementation of the cardinal clauses of the GTA MoA executed in 2011 between the Centre, state and the Morcha, which the party says "rendered the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration a hollow and futile body with hardly any power or autonomy to work for the development of the region and its people."

"The GJM has arrived at a conclusion that unless the MoA is fully implemented and a sense of confidence and faith is once again instilled in the people that the state government is genuinely interested in resolving the long pending legitimate grievances of the Gorkhas, we have proposed a road map for arriving at a political solution," Mr Giri said.

The proposals laid forward by the Morcha include implementation of the MoA of the GTA in totality, while maintaining that they believed that if "earnest and honest endeavour" is made by the state, it would not take more than six months for complete implementation of the MoA.

The proposal also says that GTA elections should not be held until the same is executed.

Also mentioned in the draft proposal is the demand for withdrawal of the "rest and residual criminal cases pertaining to political agitations" in the Hills.

"We feel that an atmosphere of peace, tranquility and confidence ‘will be instilled in the region when we propose to present our proposal for Political Solution as per the understanding arrived at before the 2021 assembly polls with the TMC," Mr Giri says in the proposal, adding that they were creating a smooth road ahead for a long pending Political Solution of the Gorkhas and their identity.

The party, however, also clarifies that "any autonomous dispensation within the state °West Bengal would be a Political Solution," while it refrained from terming the same as "Permanent Political Solution" (PPS) as it said that the "only PPS for permanently safeguarding the identity and interests of Indian Gorkhas would be nothing other than a separate state of Gorkhaland."

"The proposal for a Political Solution to be submitted by the GJM after complete implementation of the MoA of 2011 would also be made without dropping the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland," said Mr Giri.

One of the other points raised by the Morcha in the proposal is granting Scheduled Tribe status to the 11 hill tribes, maintaining that it was "crucial for arriving at any Political Solution".

"We propose to submit our proposal for the Political Solution after the written promises made in 2011 through the MoA are fully implemented. We hope and trust that the instant it is done it would create an atmosphere conducive to submission of the proposal for a Political Solution," Mr Giri added.

The proposal has also enumerated in detail the unimplemented clauses of the 2011. MoA like the transfer of some departments, 3956 mouzas to be incorporated in the GTA, formation of Subordinate Service Selection Board, among other things.