Citizen Forum to be a political organization to work for a separate state

YAWAN GURUNG | EOI | MIRIK | JULY 10, 2022: Former Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University Mahendra P Lama said in Mirik on Sunday that the 'Citizen Forum,' a body formed by prominent citizens of the hills of Darjeeling, would soon be transformed into a new political organization and its main issue would be a separate state. 

Addressing a news conference after a meeting of the Forum in Mirik, Lama said: "We have come up with the idea of transforming the 'Citizens Forum' into a new political organization. We have come here today to discuss this issue with our friends." 

He said that it would be a political organisation and not our political party. Stating that they had decided to start their political journey by rising above day-to-day politics to solve some problems, he said that the new political organisation would address basic problems of the people like education system and others but the main issue would be a separate state. 

Stating that the constitution of the new political body was also being prepared, he said that the Forum would have a collective leadership. 

 He congratulated the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha on its victory in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration election and wished it well and said that it should work in the interest of the people. 

When asked if the GTA could be an obstacle for the new political organisation, Lama said: "Our path is different. 

Even though regional political parties in the hills have called for a separate state in the past, these have come to an end and some political parties are not talking about a separate state at the initial stage. 

We will work on this issue from the beginning and this will be our main issue till the end." Lama also said that the name of his new political organization will be made public soon