GJM drops the planned three-day dharna and public meeting in Delhi

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung on Monday announced his party’s decision to defer the planned three-day dharna and public meeting in Delhi next month after the Centre agreed to form a committee to look into the Gorkhaland statehood demand.
GJM drops the planned three-day dharna and public meeting in Delhi
 GJM delegation led by Bimal Gurung
Gurung and seven GJM central committee members are in Delhi to seek an appointment with the Prime Minister. On Sunday, they called on Parliamentary Affairs minister Rajiv Pratap Rudi and apprised him about the statehood demand while also making an appeal to introduce a bill on Gorkhaland in Parliament.

Although neither Gurung nor the other delegation members could be contacted, the GJM chief’s official social website page carried an entry announcing the postponement, a decision taken in deference to the Union home minister’s request.

“I am happy to inform our supporters that Home Minister Rajnath Singh today agreed to form a committee to examine our century-old demand for a Gorkhaland state. On Singh-ji’s request, the GJM has decided to postpone the three-day dharna and urges the Central government to expedite the formation of the committee to look into our demand,” said Gurung’s post.

During the meeting with the Union Home Minister, the GJM president reiterated the need to examine the creation of a separate state as promised by the BJP in its election manifesto of 2009 and 2014. “We reminded Singhji of the BJP’s election manifesto that clearly stated the party would sympathetically and appropriately consider the long-pending demand of the Gorkhas and other people of Darjeeling district and the Dooars region,” said Gurung. He added, “The Home Minister’s appeal to us to postpone our three day Delhi programme saying the Centre has decided to form a committee is the first step forward towards the creation of a separate state.”

He also said the new BJP-led seven-month-old government wanted some time to look into the demand.

Gurung stressed that the GJM supported the BJP in the general election because the saffron party front has always been in favour of smaller states. He also pointed out that it was during the NDA’s rule that the

three small states of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh came into being.

The GJM chief said the party would now organize a public meeting in Darjeeling on December 7 to make the people aware about recent political developments and to announce future programmes. Prior to this, the party had decided to hold a meeting on November 27 to update leaders, activists, MLAs, municipality chairmen, sabhasads and frontal organizations.

The GJM delegation that includes general secretary Roshan Giri and central committee members Binay Tamang, Anit Thapa, Swaraj Thapa,

Phoebe Rai and Arun Sighchi also placed before the Centre the need to set up a Capacity Building and Livelihood School and a Central University in the hills besides requesting them to expedite the inclusion of 10 communities, namely Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunwar, Thami, Yakhha (Dewan) and Dimal in the Scheduled Tribe List.

Source: EOI


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