DARJEELING: With the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal pursuing a tough line against the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and the Centre giving no quarters to it, Morcha is cornered. If the situation is not handled properly, desperation may lead to violence in 'volatile' Darjeeling, it is felt.
"Even a deer will try to hit back if it is cornered in a closed room," warns Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Trilok Dewan, who was a top bureaucrat in Andhra Pradesh. "We have been to Delhi and we are still waiting for the tripartite meeting to take place." He rues that there is "no word of sympathy" from any quarter for the Gorkhaland demand that is "so close to the heart" of the people of Darjeeling.
Currently, the focus lies on whether GJM would attend the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) meeting scheduled on September 27 and elect a chairman. Dewan says that GTA is a 'still-born baby' and it would be difficult for GJM to make Friday's meeting a success unless the 10 GTA sabha members, now under arrest, are released before that. However, GJM central committee member Sawan Rai says that they are eager to make GTA a success "as a first step towards formation of Gorkhaland." The arrested sabha members could be released on parole to cast their votes in the chairman's election, he said.
People of Darjeeling are apprehensive of its future.
"The permanent residents of Darjeeling are worried about the deteriorating situation," says Darjeeling Civil Society president B K Pradhan. "It will be difficult living here. Normal life is disrupted, business is stalled, education hampered. The youths are getting frustrated and restive as the agitation is getting prolonged without any result. They are scared of the leadership of the movement passing into the hands of extremist elements.
GJM president Bimal Gurung's threat at a Chowrasta public meeting on September 17 that the Gorkhaland movement may turn violent in the coming days has added a new dimension to it. Pradhan rues that "none of the stakeholders, the state government, the Centre or the GJM leadership, is showing any softening of attitude." Observers however, point that the GJM offer to attend the GTA meeting if arrested sabha members are released has kept an escape hatch open. "They are being arrested in old cases," complains Dewan. "The GTA agreement, which states that all cases except those related to murder would be withdrawn, is violated," he said.
According to Dewan, the state government has only paid lip service to the success of GTA, leaving important issues pending. The business rules to make the GTA Act operational have not been formed. "Because of this, GTA is running in an ad hoc fashion," he said. Though under the GTA Act, panchayati raj is a transferred subject, the services of the BDOs, who are the officers executing developmental schemes, have not been placed under the district magistrate. The disaster management department is a transferred subject but neither the staff nor the budget has been transferred. The formation of the Lepcha Development Council (LDC) is seen as a ploy to divide the Hill community.
GJM leaders compare the stance of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi with that of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, citing the initiative Gogoi has taken to organize tripartite meetings in Delhi over the statehood demands in Bodo areas and Karbi Anglong. All this after the Telangana statehood announcement. "The Gorkhaland demand is older. We did not forego the statehood demand while signing the GTA agreement," Dewan says.
"Where diplomacy ends, war starts," warns Sawan Rai. However, Gurung's threat of violence has found few takers among GJM's partners in Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee. "CPRM is committed to a non-violent movement for Gorkhaland," says CPRM spokesman Govind Chhetri.
"Subash Ghisingh's agitation has established that violence does not pay. If there is violence, GJAC will not stay."
GJAC spokesman Enos Das Pradhan says that the call for violence had not been discussed at the joint action committee meet. But, he also calls for a "soft voice" from the state government.
The name of the educationist from Darjeeling, Mahendra P Lama, as one who can add a saner voice to the agitation and also play a proactive role in Delhi is doing the rounds for the coming Lok Sabha elections. While the Darjeeling Civil Society is trying to build a consensus in his favour, Enos Das Pradhan says people of Darjeeling have lost faith in 'outsiders' representing Darjeeling in the Lok Sabha but Lama, Dewan says, is yet to approach the GJM leaders for support.
Source: indiatimes.com
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| Gorkhaland demonstration by youths |
"Even a deer will try to hit back if it is cornered in a closed room," warns Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Trilok Dewan, who was a top bureaucrat in Andhra Pradesh. "We have been to Delhi and we are still waiting for the tripartite meeting to take place." He rues that there is "no word of sympathy" from any quarter for the Gorkhaland demand that is "so close to the heart" of the people of Darjeeling.
Currently, the focus lies on whether GJM would attend the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) meeting scheduled on September 27 and elect a chairman. Dewan says that GTA is a 'still-born baby' and it would be difficult for GJM to make Friday's meeting a success unless the 10 GTA sabha members, now under arrest, are released before that. However, GJM central committee member Sawan Rai says that they are eager to make GTA a success "as a first step towards formation of Gorkhaland." The arrested sabha members could be released on parole to cast their votes in the chairman's election, he said.
People of Darjeeling are apprehensive of its future.
"The permanent residents of Darjeeling are worried about the deteriorating situation," says Darjeeling Civil Society president B K Pradhan. "It will be difficult living here. Normal life is disrupted, business is stalled, education hampered. The youths are getting frustrated and restive as the agitation is getting prolonged without any result. They are scared of the leadership of the movement passing into the hands of extremist elements.
GJM president Bimal Gurung's threat at a Chowrasta public meeting on September 17 that the Gorkhaland movement may turn violent in the coming days has added a new dimension to it. Pradhan rues that "none of the stakeholders, the state government, the Centre or the GJM leadership, is showing any softening of attitude." Observers however, point that the GJM offer to attend the GTA meeting if arrested sabha members are released has kept an escape hatch open. "They are being arrested in old cases," complains Dewan. "The GTA agreement, which states that all cases except those related to murder would be withdrawn, is violated," he said.
According to Dewan, the state government has only paid lip service to the success of GTA, leaving important issues pending. The business rules to make the GTA Act operational have not been formed. "Because of this, GTA is running in an ad hoc fashion," he said. Though under the GTA Act, panchayati raj is a transferred subject, the services of the BDOs, who are the officers executing developmental schemes, have not been placed under the district magistrate. The disaster management department is a transferred subject but neither the staff nor the budget has been transferred. The formation of the Lepcha Development Council (LDC) is seen as a ploy to divide the Hill community.
GJM leaders compare the stance of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi with that of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, citing the initiative Gogoi has taken to organize tripartite meetings in Delhi over the statehood demands in Bodo areas and Karbi Anglong. All this after the Telangana statehood announcement. "The Gorkhaland demand is older. We did not forego the statehood demand while signing the GTA agreement," Dewan says.
"Where diplomacy ends, war starts," warns Sawan Rai. However, Gurung's threat of violence has found few takers among GJM's partners in Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee. "CPRM is committed to a non-violent movement for Gorkhaland," says CPRM spokesman Govind Chhetri.
"Subash Ghisingh's agitation has established that violence does not pay. If there is violence, GJAC will not stay."
GJAC spokesman Enos Das Pradhan says that the call for violence had not been discussed at the joint action committee meet. But, he also calls for a "soft voice" from the state government.
The name of the educationist from Darjeeling, Mahendra P Lama, as one who can add a saner voice to the agitation and also play a proactive role in Delhi is doing the rounds for the coming Lok Sabha elections. While the Darjeeling Civil Society is trying to build a consensus in his favour, Enos Das Pradhan says people of Darjeeling have lost faith in 'outsiders' representing Darjeeling in the Lok Sabha but Lama, Dewan says, is yet to approach the GJM leaders for support.
Source: indiatimes.com
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