Agitating hill leaders listen to people, call off strike

EOI, DARJEELING, FEB 22, 2023 : A day after announcing a strike on Thursday to protest the motion passed in the state Assembly against division of West Bengal, the nine agitating Sabhasads of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration on Wednesday called off their proposed strike.

On Tuesday, nine GTA Sabhasads of the opposition bench led by the Hamro Party went on a 24-hour hunger strike, to protest the motion in the State assembly led by Trinamool Congress and also called a 12-hour bandh, which they said was an appeal to the people, of the hills. Hamro Party president and elected GTA Sabhasad, Ajoy Edwards had initiated the agitation which was supported by independent Sabhasads including former Trinamool Congress leader of Darjeeling Binoy Tamang. 

Ostensibly, the decision to make a recall was arrived at after suggestions from unit levels of the opposition parties, taking into account that the Madhyamik Board examination was scheduled to begin from Thursday.

“Our Sabhasads received feedbacks and suggestions and based on it we decided not to go ahead with the strike. We had kept emergency and essential services including the education sector from the purview of the bandh.

However, for us people come first and utmost and we decided to listen to them,” said Edwards who along with the agitating Sabhasads drank juice and called off the hunger strike on Wednesday afternoon.

Edwards however said the opposition Sabhasads would continue with their protest programme in a different format.

“Very soon we will start an exercise to continue with our protest. We will first hold meetings with different political parties and social organizations,” he said.

Reacting to the withdrawal of the bandh call by the opposition Sabhasads, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM),which is close to the West Bengal Government urged the people to be careful of political leaders with vested interests.

“The whole exercise of the opposition is to create disturbance in the peaceful hills. People would not have supported the bandh.

However, we request the people to be careful about leaders who fail to take a stand and changes their decision in the blink of an eye,” said BGPM spokesperson, Keshavraj Pokhrel.

The hill unit of the Trinamool Congress said by calling the strike the opposition Sabhasads had embarked on a meaningless exercise. 

“They knew very well that the Madhyamik examination starts from Thursday as also college examinations. Yet, they went ahead and called the strike. They tried to play with the future of the students which is very unfortunate,” said Trinamool Congress (Hills) general secretary, NB Khawas.

A PTI report said though Ajoy Edwards claimed that the shutdown call had been withdrawn,

Binoy Tamang dubbed it as temporary suspension. 

“We have withdrawn our appeal for the 12-hour bandh for the being as there is Madhyamik Examination from February 23. We were  getting feedback from various sections who said that they support the demand for Gorkaland but don’t want a shutdown as that might have an adverse impact on students,”Hamro Party leader Ajoy Edwards was quoted as saying