The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has welcomed the passage of the Telangana bill today in Parliament and said the central government should now take steps to create a Gorkhaland state.
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, "The Telangana bill has been passed in Parliament and we welcome it and are happy. However, the Centre must also consider creating a Gorkhaland state.”
GJM chief Bimal Gurung had resigned in July of last year as chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration to launch a renewed movement for statehood after the central government announced its decision to form a Telangana state. The agitation lasted for more than 40 days in the August-September period.
While welcoming the passage of the bill, Giri said, "Our demand is more than a century old and must also be considered, now that the Telangana bill has been passed. The central government must take proper steps to form Gorkhaland."
Ties with the state government ebbed to an all-time low in the wake of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s public denouncement of a Gorkhaland state in Darjeeling on January 29 last year. The GJM retaliated by launching a fresh agitation following which hundreds of party activists, including leaders and GTA sabhasads, were arrested.
However, bipartite and tripartite meetings in November mended relations leading to the release of the arrested party members. Meanwhile, the chief minister once again reiterated her stand against any move to divide Bengal when she visited Darjeeling to attend Netaji Subash Chandra Bose's birth anniversary programme. But this time around, the GJM thought it prudent to focus on development of the region instead of opposing her.
When asked about the GJM’s strategies on the statehood demand, Giri said a decision would be taken later.
"We will definitely sit for a meeting with our senior leaders to discuss the issue and chalk out a path to achieve our rightful demand," said the GJM general secretary.
In his Facebook post this evening, Gurung said, "We will now request the Centre to also consider the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, which is amongst the oldest in the country. Today's passage of the Telangana Bill makes it clear that the state’s consent is not necessary for its bifurcation, a fact which we have been reiterating for a long time.”
He said the passage of the Telangana Bill proves that those opposing the creation of smaller states have been wrongly arguing out the need for consent from the state assembly. Gurung also congratulated the people of Telangana for the achievement.
"We are confident that the Centre will sooner or later respect the sentiments of the Gorkhas and take a unilateral decision for the creation of Gorkhaland notwithstanding protests from the rest of Bengal,” said the GJM chief, adding the creation of Gorkhaland on the lines of Telangana will fulfill the long-standing demand of the people of Darjeeling, Dooars and the Terai regions and “bring justice to the Indian Gorkhas”.
The GTA chief executive is at present busy laying foundation stones for a number of projects in the hills ahead of the enforcement of the election model code of conduct. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for a rural electrification project in Rimbick-Lodhoma under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna.
Source:EOI
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| GJM general secretary Roshan Giri. |
GJM chief Bimal Gurung had resigned in July of last year as chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration to launch a renewed movement for statehood after the central government announced its decision to form a Telangana state. The agitation lasted for more than 40 days in the August-September period.
While welcoming the passage of the bill, Giri said, "Our demand is more than a century old and must also be considered, now that the Telangana bill has been passed. The central government must take proper steps to form Gorkhaland."
Ties with the state government ebbed to an all-time low in the wake of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s public denouncement of a Gorkhaland state in Darjeeling on January 29 last year. The GJM retaliated by launching a fresh agitation following which hundreds of party activists, including leaders and GTA sabhasads, were arrested.
However, bipartite and tripartite meetings in November mended relations leading to the release of the arrested party members. Meanwhile, the chief minister once again reiterated her stand against any move to divide Bengal when she visited Darjeeling to attend Netaji Subash Chandra Bose's birth anniversary programme. But this time around, the GJM thought it prudent to focus on development of the region instead of opposing her.
When asked about the GJM’s strategies on the statehood demand, Giri said a decision would be taken later.
"We will definitely sit for a meeting with our senior leaders to discuss the issue and chalk out a path to achieve our rightful demand," said the GJM general secretary.
In his Facebook post this evening, Gurung said, "We will now request the Centre to also consider the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, which is amongst the oldest in the country. Today's passage of the Telangana Bill makes it clear that the state’s consent is not necessary for its bifurcation, a fact which we have been reiterating for a long time.”
He said the passage of the Telangana Bill proves that those opposing the creation of smaller states have been wrongly arguing out the need for consent from the state assembly. Gurung also congratulated the people of Telangana for the achievement.
"We are confident that the Centre will sooner or later respect the sentiments of the Gorkhas and take a unilateral decision for the creation of Gorkhaland notwithstanding protests from the rest of Bengal,” said the GJM chief, adding the creation of Gorkhaland on the lines of Telangana will fulfill the long-standing demand of the people of Darjeeling, Dooars and the Terai regions and “bring justice to the Indian Gorkhas”.
The GTA chief executive is at present busy laying foundation stones for a number of projects in the hills ahead of the enforcement of the election model code of conduct. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for a rural electrification project in Rimbick-Lodhoma under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna.
Source:EOI
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