Showing posts with label JAP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JAP. Show all posts

How different medias covered GJM called bandh in Darjeeling

9:53 PM
GJM bandh turned out a success in Darjeeling hills - indiatoday
The stage is set for a mighty showdown in the Hills with both Trinamool Congress and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha gearing up for a show of strength and political space in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.

GJM SENSED LOOSENED HOLD
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), the leading party in the Darjeeling hills and advocate of separate state of Gorkhaland for the people, is in a difficult position with members quitting the party either for Trinamool Congress or for JAP (Jana Andolan Party), which is its offshoot. The policy of poaching, which Trinamool Congress adopted to increase its tally has affected the GJM. The party's principal agenda of a separate state is also not finding many takers.

Yet the bandh called by GJM today was a huge success as Hill people preferred to go on a holiday instead of risking their lives in the confrontation between the Trinamool Congress and GJM supporters.

The ruling Trinamool Congress has left no stones unturned in making the bandh a flop show. Three ministers are camping in the Hills to ensure normalcy. But the situation is far from being normal. Schools, colleges, government offices were kept open and public transport was plying, but very few people were willing to step out of their houses.
GJM called bandh in Darjeeling 28th Sep 2016
GJM called bandh in Darjeeling 28th Sep 2016
LOCALS STAYED OUT OF THE SCENE
The division bench of Calcutta High Court has passed an order and asked the government to ensure an atmosphere of normalcy for people. However, the government was unable to build up confidence among people to feel free.


"People of Hills want peace and development. They don't want disturbance. The success of the bandh does not indicate that GJM still holds influence among the Hill people. If people  have stayed away from work, it is because they are peace loving," said Harka Bahadur Chhetri of JAP. For Mamata, the outcome of the bandh cannot be music to the ears, but she is still hoping that appearance can be deceptive.

Bandh in Darjeeling Hills sees dull response - PTI

Darjeeling, Sep 28 (PTI) The 12-hour bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling district today failed to evoke much response, even as over 200 GJM supporters were detained for trying to enforce the shutdown.

Government buses arrived at Darjeeling with tourists escorted by security personnel. Private vehicles were however off the roads.

Around 98 per cent of attendance was recorded in government offices and private schools were open. Shops were mostly closed. Bank ATMs were found to be open also.

At around 11 AM, two toy trains plied with domestic and foreign tourists to Ghoom station from Darjeeling.

This was the first time in the DHR history that a toy train operated during a bandh.

Darjeeling District Magistrate Anurag Srivastava told reporters that more than 200 hundred GJM supporters were detained. Three Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) members were arrested during the bandh.

Three state ministers -- Gautam Deb, Rabindra Nath Ghose and James Kujur monitored the situation in the three hill sub-Divisions.

Opposing the bandh, Chief Minister Mamata Banjeree had yesterday stated that there should be no more shutdown and blockades.

"Bengal's economy was affected by bandhs. There was enough bandh politics," she said.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) called the shutdown alleging the state government has failed to give details of Rs 4,000 crore, which the chief minister has claimed to have given to the GTA.

GJM chief Bimal Gurung, however, claimed that the shutdown was "successful".

"People in the Hills have observed a peaceful bandh," he said, adding TMC has unleashed an autocratic rule.

State tourism minister Gautam Deb, who camped at Kalimpong, said GJM supporters damaged three cars of TMC activists and the police is taking action.

On the closure of shops, he said there was a fear among shop owners and that the state government has taken all steps to maintain normalcy.

Darjeeling reels under GJM bandh - thehindu
Political temperatures went soaring in the Darjeeling hills on Wednesday over the 12-hour bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). The GJM has been demanding a separate Gorkha homeland to be carved out of three hill subdivisions of West Bengal, which is opposed by all major parties of the State.

While the bandh was called by the GJM after recent comments of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has been allocated Rs. 4,000 crore by the State government, the GJM however has raked up Gorkhaland issue. A statement issued by GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, “Those opposing Gorkhaland will get more energy if the bandh is unsuccessful”

More than 250 GJM supporters were detained till Wednesday afternoon, District Magistrate Anurag Srivastava told journalists.

“We are checking if tourists are stranded. Vehicles are available in the hills… Some shops are open,” he said.

There were reports of vehicles being attacked in Kalimpong and Mr. Srivastava said strong action will be taken.

The three-hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong saw huge deployment of police during the shutdown. Hundreds of supporters of the GJM also took to the streets shouting slogans.

Three Ministers of the Trinamool Congress government were present in each of the subdivisions trying to ensure that shops and commercial establishment remain open.

Supporters of the Trinamool Congress also brought out rallies raising the pitch against the GJM supporters.

Darjeeling tense over bandh call - tribuneindia
Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service
Kolkata, September 27 Undeterred by a High Court directive, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) is all set to go ahead with its call for 12-hour bandh tomorrow in the Darjeeling Hill areas.
“We have not seen the court order. Bandh will be observed in the hills tomorrow”, Rooshan Giri, GJM general secretary, said.

Responding to a petition filed by Trinamool Congress leader Idris Ali, the Calcutta High Court today directed the state government to ensure that normal life is not disrupted in view of the bandh called by GJM tomorrow.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has vowed to foil the bandh call and the court directive has come to her as a shot in the arm to crack down on supporters of the bandh.

“The court has said it can start a suo motu contempt proceeding against GJM as bandhs are illegal and unconstitutional,” Amit Javalgi, Superintendent of Police of Darjeeling district, said, indicating the police resolve to take strong action against supporters of the bandh.

“Adequate forces are being deployed so that normal life is not affected in the hills tomorrow,” Javalgi added.
However, Harka Bahadur Chhetri, who formed Jana Andolon Party (JAP) after breaking away from the GJM, said if strong arm methods were used against GJM supporters tomorrow, Mamata Banerjee would be walking in the trap of the GJM because this was what GJM leader Bimal Gurung wanted.

“Bimal Gurung wants police to come down heavily on his supporters tomorrow. Violence will benefit him politically”, Chhetri, former GJM MLA from Kalimpong constituency, said.

The state government has also issued a circular making it mandatory for employees in the hills to come to the office tomorrow. Three ministers – James Kujur (tribal welfare), Rabindranath Ghosh (North Bengal Development) and Gautam Deb (Tourism) – are camping, respectively, at Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong.

“The ministers are interacting with public. They are here to give the message that the state government is serious about its opposition to the bandh call by the GJM”, Anurag Srivastava, District Magistrate of Darjeeling, said.

Harka Bahadur Chhetri said the current dispute between the state government and GJM should have been sorted out across the table since the issue involved was about the quantum of funds released by the state government to the GTA for development.
“Why put common people into discomfort by calling a bandh”, Chhetri said. Chhetri, who was backed by Mamata in the Assembly elections held earlier this year, said GJM called the bandh to regain the influence it once enjoyed in the hills.
GJM managed to retain all three Assembly seats in the hills in the 2016 General Elections but the victory margins of its candidates were considerably less than the 2011 elections.

Bandh Called by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Halts Public Life in Darjeeling - news18
Sougata Mukhopadhyay | CNN-News18
Kolkata: A 12-hour bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) hit public life in Darjeeling on Wednesday as commercial establishments remained shut, defying the state government calls to boycott the strike.

The bandh, called by the GJM in support of a separate state of Gorkhaland, has been termed “illegal” by the Calcutta high court. Several shopkeepers and transport operators, however, supported the bandh in the upper reaches of West Bengal.

There were no reports of violence but minor tension was reported from Kurseong and Kalimpong towns where sympathisers of the ruling Trinamool Congress who were opposing the strike came face to face with GJM supporters who laid siege to important junctions of the hills to make the bandh a success.

The strike is being seen as the beginning of a new phase of protests in the hills as the GJM renews its calls for a separate Gorkhaland.

Seven companies of central forces and large contingents of the state police have been deployed to thwart attempts at disturbing peace. Trinamool Congress leaders Gautam, Rabindranath Ghosh and James Kujur have set up camp in the area to monitor the situation.

Rift between Jan Andolan Party (JAP) and the Trinamool Congress Began

11:05 AM
TMC
Trinamool magic won't work in Darjeeling hills: JAP

Darjeeling, Sept. 26:In an obvious sign of relations souring up between the Jan Andolan Party and the Trinamool Congress, the JAP today rebuffed the TMC’s attempts to make inroads in the hills, asserting no national-level party would be able to usurp power in the region.

The latest swipe comes in the wake of chief minister Mamata Banerjee recently clarifying in a public programme that it was her and her government’s decision to form a separate Kalimpong district.

“We (hills) cherish regional feelings and sentiments when it comes to politics, whatever parties we may be associated with. No national party has been able to rule in the hills as the history of the place shows,” asserted Amar Lama, senior JAP bureau member, today durig a press briefing in Darjeeling.

Going a step further, Lama challenged the TMC to form the government in Tripura first. “Why, Darjeeling hills, we challenge the TMC to first form government in Tripura,” the JAP leader said.
Rift between Jan Andolan Party (JAP) and the Trinamool Congress Began
What has also irked the JAP leadership is the chief minister's reluctance to give credit to the party, the political ally of the TMC in the hills, with regard to the formation of the new district.

Coming out in defence of the party’s president, Lama reiterated that it was the strong pitch made by JAP chief Harka Bahadur Chhetri and the District Demand Committee (DDC) that made the state government decide to create Kalimpong district. “Our party president and the DDC pursued the issue of creating a Kalimpong district relentlessly. It was this untiring effort and pursuance that gave the state government the impetus to come to a decision. The chief minister cannot deny this fact,” said Lama.

The JAP has all along taken credit for the state government's decision to form a Kalimpong district, which apparently was not announced by the chief minister during her latest three-day visit to the hills,

much against popular expectations. Speaing at a programme organised by the Lepcha development board in Kalimpong, Banerjee clarified that nobody had pursued the matter with her to create Kalimpong district. Interestingly, Chhetri who is also the Kalimpong MLA, was among the invitees to the function and was seated on the dais when Banerjee uttered her statement.

The JAP president initially dabbled for a Kalimpong district as a member of the DDC after severing ties with the GJM before he went on to float the JAP to contest the assembly election riding on the Kalimpong district issue. Lama also took offence to the war of words between the state government and the GJM over allocation of funds to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. He said,

“Rather than indulging in making claims and allegations, the state government should ask the Comptroller Auditor General to audit the expenditure accounts of the GTA. It can be done on the basis of section 55, clause 9 of the GTA Act under the Funds and Audit section." Lama also suggested that if at all anomalies were found in the audit, the GTA Sabha should be dissolved then.

Mamata Banerjee has claimed that the state government had allocated Rs 4,000 crore to the GTA for development over a period of four years since the formation of the council in 2012. Refuting the claim,  GJM president Bimal Gurung has announced a 12 hour strike in the hills on September 28, seeking a clarification from the state government.

Via (EOIC)

JAP raps GTA & Mamata on funds
Darjeeling, Sept. 26: The Jana Andolan Party today accused both Mamata Banerjee and Bimal Gurung of indulging in politics over the GTA funds and asked the state government to conduct an audit of the hill body.

Amar Lama, a bureau member of the JAP, today said: "The chief minister had come up with a Rs 1,000 crore figure during a public meeting in Kurseong in March and after a few months, she talks about Rs 4,000 crore in Kalimpong. Instead of speaking on an issue like this at a public gathering, the chief minister should act seriously. The state government should ask the CAG to conduct an audit and if they find financial irregularities, the state should supersede the GTA as is laid out in the Act."

Lama further said the chief minister was raising the funds issue only when her relation with the Morcha was on the rocks. "Why is the issue being raised only when the relation between the two parties has hit a low? Had the relation (between the Morcha and Trinamul) been steady, it seems, the chief minister would have never raised the issue," said Lama.

In the recent Assembly elections, the JAP was in an alliance with the Trinamul Congress.

Accusing the Morcha of failing to be transparent, Lama said: "The Morcha must be transparent on the issue. The GTA, which is controlled by the Morcha, should give a proper reply to funds queries and should not hide details on money matters. However, there was no need to call a general strike on an issue related to claims and counter-claims on funds."

Late in the evening, Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said the Wednesday strike was also to strengthen the voice of Gorkhaland, which the state government was trying to scuttle in all possible ways. - Telegraph


Time for Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the BJP to deliver Gorkhaland - JAP

9:45 AM
Kalimpong, July 6: The youth wing of the Jan Andolan Party today said time had come for both the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the BJP to deliver Gorkhaland to the people of the hills with Darjeeling MP S.S. Ahluwalia joining the Union cabinet.

Amir Basnet, the secretary of the Jan Yuva Ekai, said the Morcha had helped the BJP win the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat both in 2009 and 2014 on the promise of getting a separate state for the Gorkhas.
Jan Andolan Party
Jan Andolan Party


Via Telegraph

SS Ahluwalia's appointment as minister of state - opinions and reactions

12:56 PM
DARJEELING 5 Jul 2016 Darjeeling MP Surendra Singh Ahluwalia’s promotion as a minister of state and induction into the Union cabinet - the first instance for a Member of Parliament from Darjeeling since Independence - has brought mixed reactions from political parties of the hills.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha welcomed Ahluwalia’s induction, saying it reflected the respect and sense of inclusiveness the BJP-led government has accorded to the people living in Darjeeling and the Dooars region. In a press statement, GJM president Bimal Gurung congratulated the Darjeeling MP and extended his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“With Ahluwalia joining the Union Cabinet, not only Darjeeling but the entire region of north Bengal will find representation at the highest policy making body of the country, and he will now be able to push for transformation of this region for the better. This also shows Modiji’s commitment towards the people of Darjeeling and we look forward to the day when all our long pending demands will be fulfilled,” Gurung said, without specifying his party’s statehood demand.

Over the years,the Darjeeling hills did have representation in both the lower and upper Houses of Parliament, mostly from the hill units of national parties such as the Congress and the CPM. This is the first time that a Darjeeling MP has been appointed as a minister of state and inducted into the Union Cabinet.

SS Ahluwalia
SS Ahluwalia
The All India Gorkha League (AIGL) and the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) too welcomed the development but were cautious with their words. “It is a good gesture for the hills and hope it will benefit us. As for the statehood demand, only time will say what impetus Ahluwalia will bring,” said Pratap Khati, the AIGL general secretary.

NB Chhetri, central committee member of the GNLF, said, “Ahluwalia’s induction into the Union Cabinet will benefit the hills. But it will depend on what portfolio the BJP leader is given.”

The newly formed Jan Andolan Party (JAP) led by Harka Bahadur Chhetri and the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM) were critical in their observation, saying Ahluwalia’s appointment was aimed at the election in Punjab where the BJP wants to give a face. “The sole agenda of the BJP government in making

Ahluwalia a minister of state is to give a Sikh minister as this will help the party in the Punjab election. It is also a strategy to help the GJM garner votes in the next Lok Sabha election as in the recent state Assembly election, the Morcha’s vote share decreased drastically,” said the JAP chief, adding Ahluwalia’s new role would only be a hindrance to the statehood demand.

CPRM spokesperson Govind Chhetri said, “As MP, Ahluwalia has failed to deliver. And we don’t see anything better happening for the hills with him as a minister of state.” The hill Trinamool Congress said it would only comment after the BJP leader was given a portfolio.


(EOIC)

गोरखा जनमुक्ति मोर्चा प्रेस विज्ञप्ति

9:16 PM
गोरखा राष्ट्रिय मुक्ति मोर्चा (गोरामुमो) अनि जन आन्दोलन पार्टी(जाप)-का अध्यक्षहरू अब तृणमूल कंग्रेसका नेताहरूको अधीनमा परेका छन् जसले गत विधानसभा चुनाउ पनि जित्न सकेका थिएनन्। यो पहाड़वासीको निम्ति ठूलो अपमान हो अनि समतल केन्द्रित राजनैतिक दलहरूले पहाड़का राजनैतिक दलहरूको कहिल्यै सम्मान गर्दैनन् भन्ने उदाहरण पनि हो।

तृणमूल कंग्रेसका दार्जीलिङ जिल्ला अध्यक्षले कसरी अध्यक्ष या उपाध्यक्षको कुनै पनि पद पाएनन् अनि कसरी गोरामुमो अनि जापका अध्यक्षहरूले उक्त पदहरू पाए? यसले प्रत्यक्षरूपमै जाप अनि गोरामुमो तृणमूल कंग्रेसकै खेमाकाहरू हुन् भन्ने प्रमाणित गर्छ। हिल तृणमूलभन्दा पनि जाप अनि गोरामुमो तृणमूल कंग्रेसको निम्ति धेरै महत्वपूर्ण रहेको सत्य पनि यसले स्पष्ट पार्छ।

पहाड़का समग्र जनता यी दुई दल जाप अनि गोरामुमोदेखि टाँड़ा बस्नुपर्छ। उनीहरू गोरखाल्याण्ड बेच्ने दल हो अनि गोरखाल्याण्ड बेचेकोमा राज्य सरकारले उनीहरूलाई पुरस्कृत गरेका हुन्।

गोरामुमो अनि जापले गोजमुमोलाई भ्रष्टाचारको जुन आरोप लगाइरहेका छन् त्यो पूर्णरूपले निराधार रहेको छ। जबकि उनीहरूले नै गोरखाल्याण्डको मुद्दालाई नवान्नमा बिक्री गरेका छन् जो पहाड़को इतिहासमा सबैभन्दा ठूलो भ्रष्टाचार हो अनि यसप्रकारको भ्रष्टाचार पहाड़वासीले कहिल्यै देखेका थिएनन् अनि सोचेका पनि थिएनन्। उनीहरूलाई जनभावना अनि जातीय अस्मिता र स्वाभिमानको कुनै सरोकार छैन, यसैले गोरखाल्याण्डको मुद्दा बेचेर राज्य सरकारबाट पाएको पुरस्कारले उनीहरू गदगद भइरहेका छन्, त्यसैको पुरस्कारको रूपमा राज्य सरकारले उनीहरूलाई पद प्रदान गरेको हो।

गोरामुमो अनि जापले जनताको सपनामाथि घात गरेपछि अब गोरखाहरूको स्वाभिमान अनि जातीय अस्मिताको निम्ति निरन्तर संघर्ष गरिरहने एकमात्र इमान्दार दल गोरखा जनमुक्ति मोर्चामात्रै रहेको प्रमाणित गरिदिएको छ। किनभने गोरखाल्याण्डको निम्ति प्राणको बाजीसमेत लगाउने अब गोरखा जनमुक्ति मोर्चा अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङमात्रै रहेको प्रमाणित भयो।

श्री रोशन गिरी,
महासचिव,
गोरखा जनमुक्ति मोर्चा।

Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Mann Ghisingh in Mamata Banerjee's new committees

2:59 PM
Mamata Banerjee has decided to include Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Mann Ghisingh in her new committees in a move to consolidate the anti-Morcha votes in the upcoming elections. With the GNLF and JAP presidents getting posts in the committees Gorkha Janmukti Morcha GJM  accused them for selling the statehood dream of the people for their respective posts.

Morcha barb at Mamata panels
Writes Vivek Chhetri and Rajeev Ravidas for Telegraph
Darjeeling, June 30: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today criticised Mamata Banerjee's decision to nominate Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Mann Ghisingh in the new committees she had announced yesterday and said that her efforts to consolidate the anti-Morcha votes will not have any impact on the hill party in the upcoming civic and GTA elections.

The Morcha accused the presidents of the Jana Andolan Party (Chhetri) and the GNLF (Mann) for selling the statehood dream of the people for the post of vice-chairmen in the panels.

"We congratulate both Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Mann Ghisingh for becoming the vice-chairmen of different government panels. They have been appointed as vice-chairmen despite being presidents of their respective parties. Could anything be more demoralising and humiliating for their parties?" asked Binay Tamang, the assistant general secretary of the Morcha.
Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Mann Ghisingh in Mamata Banerjee's new committees
Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Mann Ghisingh in Mamata Banerjee's new committees 
Yesterday, Mamata Banerjee announced four new committees in Siliguri and made some of the former ministers and Trinamul leaders who had lost the Assembly polls members of the panels.

Apart from her party leaders, Chhetri and Mann also made it to the committees.

While Chhetri has been made the vice-chairman of Uttarbanga Unnayan Parshad, Mann has been nominated as the vice-chairman of the North Bengal Board for Development of Sports and Games.

The Parshad will be headed by Abdul Karim Chowdhury and Bhaichung Bhutia has been named as the head of the sports panel.

Today, Tamang said: "Earlier, too, Harka Bahadur Chhetri's name had featured in TMC's candidate list but it was removed later. The recent development proves that the JAP and TMC are the same. Harka Bahadur Chhetri had said that he had made a roadmap for his party till 2025. It seems the roadmap was to get a chair for himself."

Criticising Mann's nomination to the panel, Tamang said: "The Gorkhaland martyrs' dream has been sold for a post of vice-chairman by the GNLF. Of late, the GNLF has been saying that they do not need Gorkhaland. We want to remind them that one should not forget one's community and its aspirations."

The Morcha said Mamata's decision to include the two hill leaders was aimed at consolidating anti-Morcha votes. "The decision was taken to ensure that the three parties (JAP, GNLF and TMC) fight the municipality and the GTA elections together. In the past, too, they had joined hands against us but it did not have any impact (on us). This development, too, will have no impact," said Tamang.

Mann Ghisingh, who is in Siliguri, said over the phone: "I have not received any official letter (regarding the committee and his post in it) and I need to know the details first before commenting. I came to know about the development through The Telegraph this morning."

In Kalimpong, Harka said: "I would like to thank the Bengal chief minister. This, in a way, is proof of her trust on my capacity and capability. I will try to live up to her trust and do whatever is required of me in the office ... I do not know yet what my responsibilities would be. I am yet to get a formal letter. Once I get it, I will go to the (council) office, and get myself acquainted with my responsibilities and work."

GJM denounces GNLF, JAP for selling-off statehood demand published in - EOI
DARJEELING 30 Jun 2016 With chief minister Mamata Banerjee announcing certain posts in various state government panels to GNLF president Mann Ghisingh and Jan Andolan Party president Harka Bahadur Chhetri, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has slammed them for selling off and exchanging the statehood demand to secure these posts.

On Wednesday in Siliguri, the chief minister also announced the names of hill TMC leaders Shanta Chhetri as a member of the Advisory Council of Tea Directorate and Sardha Subba Rai as the director of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation. Ghisingh has been made the vice-chairman of the North Bengal Board for Development of Sports and Games while Chhetri has become the vice-chairman of the Uttarbanga Unnayan Parishad.

GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang said, “We congratulate them, especially the hill TMC leaders, who were given important posts by the chief minister. We have nothing to comment on this as the chief minister can do so in her official capacity. But what came as a surprise was the GNLF and JAP presidents getting posts. Once again it has been proven that the JAP and the TMC are one and the same body as during the Vidhan Sabha election too, Chhetri's name had been initially announced by Mamata as a TMC candidate. When the JAP was formed, they had said they had prepared a roadmap for Gorkhaland, but now this has been proved otherwise,” said Tamang.

He added, “It seems that the GNLF too has sold-off the demand or Sixth Schedule and Gorkhaland for the post of a vice-chairman. They have also sold the dreams of the 1,200 martyrs of the Gorkhaland agitation in the mid eighties. Recently, a GNLF delegation met with the chief minister in Kolkata and the dole Ghisingh has received seems to be the main topic they discussed about.”

Tamang further said that the chief minister's announcements was a clear indication that the three parties would join hands in fighting upcoming elections, but this would not affect the Morcha at all.

When reminded that his party too was trying to improve relations with the state government, Tamang said, “Being the ruling party here and in charge of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, it is prudent to maintain a good working relationship with the state government. But this does not mean we have a political relationship as well as we demand statehood while the state government is against it.”

When Chhetri was contacted, he said, “I thank the chief minister for announcing my name as vice-chairman of the north Bengal development board and once I receive official intimation I will see what  I can do to help the people.” Commenting on the allegations made by the Morcha, he said, “It is the GJM who is not sincere about the Gorkhaland demand and use it as an issue only during elections.

They mainly criticise our party as we have done so much in such little time; they are afraid of losing popular support as they have not done anything.

Moreover, they are no one to comment on who we keep good relations with as such terms have to be maintained for the benefit of the people. As for the matter of being in love with an official post, please  do not forget that GJM chief Bimal Gurung had once quit as the GTA chief executive only to occupy it immediately afterwards.”

Chhetri also stressed that the JAP has not decided anything regarding forthcoming elections. While the GNLF president could not be contacted even after repeated attempts, party general secretary  Mahendra Chhetri said, “We have not received any official intimation about our president being given a post and what we know is through the media. Any decision to that effect will be taken once we  receive official confirmation and by holding a meeting. As for the allegations by the GJM, everyone can see that we are keenly pursuing the demand for Sixth Schedule, which we believe, is a step towards achieving Gorkhaland.” (EOIC)

Via EOI & Telegraph


Hill parties unite to seek Bijanbari Subdivision

11:34 AM
DARJEELING 21 Jun 2016 Various political and apolitical bodies of the hills have come together on one platform - the Bijanbari Sub-Division Demand Committee - to demand for the creation of a Bijanbari sub-division. They submitted a memorandum today to the Darjeeling district administration in the regard.

The committee members comprise representatives from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Trinamool Congress, Jan Andolan Party, CPM and the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist and merchant associations and social organisations of the area.

After submitting their memorandum to the Darjeeling district magistrate, L.M. Lama, the convener of the newly formed committee, said, “With 23 gram panchayats, Bijanbari is a huge block and one of the largest blocks in the state. We welcome the concept of a Mirik sub-division, but in spite of its potential to be upgraded to a sub-division, we feel that Bijanbari has been overlooked by the state government. We want Bijanbari to be trifurcated into three blocks with two sub-divisions.”
Hill political parties unite to seek Bijanbari Subdivision
Hill political parties unite to seek Bijanbari Subdivision
The sub-division demand committee that was formed on June 19 has proposed that Bijanbari, comprising the areas of Rimbick-Lodhoma, Bijanbari-Pulbazar and Darjeeling, be trifurcated into three development blocks. It also wants the Rimbick-Lodhoma and Bijanbari-Pulbazaar development blocks to be created into two separate sub-divisions.

“It is the question of the people’s wish and their necessities. Our committee comprises representation from various political parties and we want to take forward the demand to its positive conclusion in one voice,” said the BSDC convener, who is also a GJM central committee leader of Bijanbari.

The GJM, although opposed to the state government’s move to form development boards, has given its consent for the creation of new districts and sub-divisions. Similar demands have started cropping up and have also started gaining momentum, following the state government’s recent decision to form a separate Kalimpong district and a Mirik sub-division, the latter presently being one of the blocks under Kurseong sub-division.

Topographically, Bijanbari block under Darjeeling sub-division measures 415.69 sq km and is one of the eight blocks of the district. It has a total population of 1,26,747 spread over 23 GPs. It has 94 khasmal, revenue villages, tea gardens and forest mouzas. Income sources include paddy, tea, maize, potato, ginger and cardamom cultivation.

Lama said the district magistrate responded positively and assured the committee of starting the process of creating new blocks soon. “The DM assured us he would look into the demand of division of blocks and start the process as the matter is under his purview. And regarding the demand for sub-divisions, he has promised to communicate with the state government, which is the final authority,” the DSDC convener said.

The committee has also proposed that the Rimbick-Lodhoma, Bijanbari-Pulbazaar and Darjeeling development blocks be formed with five, eight and 10 gram panchayats, respectively.

(EOIC)



GNLF delegation led by Mann Ghisingh to meet Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna

9:54 AM
Writes Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, June 17: The GNLF today said a delegation of party leaders led by Mann Ghisingh would meet Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna on June 20 at the invitation of the chief minister.

Political observers said the meeting might be the formalisation of a political alignment that had taken on the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the Assembly elections.

Harka Bahadur Chhetri's Jana Andolan Party, Trinamul and the GNLF had come together to fight the Morcha in the Assembly polls in the three hill constituencies. While Chhetri was the JAP candidate in Kalimpong, Trinamul contested from Kurseong and Darjeeling.

N.B. Chhetri, the spokesman for the GNLF, said: "We had written to the chief minister sometime back expressing our wish to meet her. We have been invited for a meeting at Nabanna on June 20. Our party president, Mann Ghisingh, will be leading a six-member delegation for the meeting which is scheduled for 4pm."
Mann Ghisingh to meet Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna
Mann Ghisingh to meet Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna
The GNLF had also backed Trinamul candidate Bhaichung Bhutia in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 general elections. Despite the support, the hill party couldn't cement its relation with Mamata Banerjee. In between the 2014 Parliament elections and the Assembly polls, GNLF leaders had met Mamata only once in Darjeeling.

"We had met the chief minister once when she was in Darjeeling (after the Lok Sabha polls) but it was more of a courtesy call. Apart from that, our party president was invited to Mamata's swearing-in recently. This time, we are hopeful of the meeting. We also believe this would be the beginning of more meetings," said Chhetri.

The GNLF delegation is looking at using the meeting to strengthen its ties with Mamata. "We have nothing in mind. There are many issues which we need to take up with the chief minister. But everything will depend on how the meeting progresses," said Chhetri, who is also a former Darjeeling MLA.

The combined efforts of the JAP, Trinamul and the GNLF and also the support of chairpersons of development boards of various hill communities did give a tough fight to  the Morcha, especially in Kalimpong. In all the three hill Assembly segments, the Morcha’s victory margin went down by nearly 50 per cent compared to the 2011 Assembly election results.

In a separate development, Darjeeling MLA Amar Singh Rai said on Friday that all three legislators of the Morcha had met Mamata in her chamber in the Assembly building and thanked her for creating Kalimpong district


Via Telegraph


GJM & JAP both demands Inclusion of Dooars in Kalimpong district

11:12 AM
Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, June 7: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Jana Andolan Party, two principal parties in the hills, have suggested the incorporation of additional areas from the Dooars in the proposed Kalimpong district.

The proposals were made at an all-party meeting convened by Darjeeling district magistrate Anurag Srivastava here today to seek feedback on the creation of Kalimpong district and Mirik subdivision. Sipchu, Toribari, Bagracote Pathorjhora, Ellenbari,Chilauna and Samsing - the Dooars areas the Morcha wanted to be in the Kalimpong district - are part of some of the 398 mouzas the party had demanded to be brought under the GTA's jurisdiction.

Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said: "We support the creation of Kalimpong district, a demand we had first raised. We want areas like Sipchu, Toribari, Bagracote Pathorjhora, Ellenbari,Chilauna and Samsing (which are presently in Jalpaiguri district) to be incorporated in the new district. These areas are contiguous to the present Kalimpong subdivision."
The all-party meeting in Darjeeling on Tuesday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Giri said the Morcha wanted three subdivisions and seven blocks in the new district, and three blocks in Mirik subdivision.

Anmole Prasad, a member of the JAP's bureau, said the party had made a written submission on various aspects of the formation of the Kalimpong district. The JAP also wants parts of the Jalpaiguri district to be included in the new district.

"We want the boundaries of the new district to be redrawn so that its two sides have highways and a compact zone is created," said Prasad.

The JAP basically wants areas lying north of NH31 in Jalpaiguri district to be the southern boundary of the Kalimpong district and areas like Kalijhora, Lohapul, Suntalay and Rambi, which are along NH10 and in the Kurseong subdivision, to be the western border.

The JAP wants Kalimpong district to have three subdivisions and 10 blocks. The party demanded at the meeting that four blocks be created to make up the new Mirik subdivision.

"We also seek the formation of a committee comprising stakeholders, NGOs, experts and citizens to monitor and assist the formation of the district and the subdivision. Future meetings should be held at respective locations (Kalimpong and Mirik) to enable detailed discussions and new administrative townships should be created there to de-congest the area," said Prasad.

Representatives of parties like the GNLF, ABGL, CPRM and the Trinamul Congress also attended the meeting.

Srivastava said the parties had been asked to submit the suggestions in writing by tomorrow evening.

"An all-party meeting is usually called before the start of the process to create a new district. We have asked political parties to submit their suggestions in writing by tomorrow evening so that we can go through them and then prepare a report based on administrative feasibility. The report will be submitted to the government as early as possible," said Srivastava.

Telegraph

All hill party meeting for Kalimpong district in Darjeeling

10:59 AM
Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, June 6: The state government has taken the first concrete step to upgrade Kalimpong subdivision to a district with the Darjeeling district administration calling an all-party meeting here tomorrow for their feedback.

Assembly elections were fought in Kalimpong mainly on the district demand plank.

Anurag Srivastava, the district magistrate of Darjeeling, today confirmed that the all-party meeting would be held here tomorrow.

"The purpose of the meeting is to get feedback from all political parties on the new district. A report will then be forwarded to the personnel department," he said.

The meeting has been scheduled for 4pm in the district magistrate's conference hall.

Former Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri, who had left the Gorkha Janm-ukti Morcha to float the Jana Andolan Party and made Kalimpong district one of its prime agendas in the Assembly polls, today thanked Mamata Banerjee.
Kalimpong District Map
Kalimpong District Map

"At the onset, I would like to thank the chief minister for starting the process... I am told that on May 30, the chief minister had directed the chief secretary and home secr-etary to start the process and in less than a week, a meeting has been called. This should be a lesson for the Morcha. One needs to deliver rather than make promises," he said.

Harka said even though he would not be able to attend the meeting, other JAP leaders would be present in full strength.

Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said his party would be represented at the meeting.

Telegraph


Jan Andolan Party thanks Mamata Banerjee for Kalimpong District nod

2:12 PM
Writes Mukesh Sharma 

Kalimpong,31st May Jan Andolan Party thanks the State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who has instructed the process of formation of the five districts in West Bengal to be expedited.

The Party which started the movement of Kalimpong District through the banner of Kalimpong District Demand Committee before the formation of party has hail the CM for taking the issue.

JAP President Dr Harka Bahadur Chhetri have told that on 23rd May he met the CM and congratulated her on her victory and requested to expedite the process of Kalimpong District. He said She have ordered her Chief and Home secretaries to expedited the process.

He said our party raised the issue  but when she announced the Formation of Kalimpong District she took my name but after our party lost in election the decision can been seen as that she does not want Morcha to take credit of Kalimpong District in coming days .

Jan Andolan Party thanks Mamata Banerjee Kalimpong District nod
JAP Press Conference
The decision for the formation was passed by the State Cabinet in December 2015.

Meanwhile JAP party secretary Nayan Pradhan addressing a press meet at the party office today that this is our victory despite our loss , we and people of Kalimpong thanks her.

Amir Basnet JAP youth leader said the dream seen by Kalimpong mass and the work done by JAP party to fulfill the dreams will now turn reality . He added that “we don’t believe in giving assurance but we deliver’.

Via Kalimpong News Express


Kalimpong District to be formed soon claims JAP

6:15 PM
Kalimpong  31st may 2016 After losing the assembly election in Kalimpong Jana Andolan Party JAP is trying to consolidate it support base in Kalimpong and in such an attempt they claim that the formation of the Kalimpong Distric has got green signal from the chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. JAP president  Dr Harka Bahadur Chhetri after the election met the chief minister and have had a fruitful discussion on the matter

"Though JAP lost the election, we will strive hard to fulfill Kalimpongbasi's aspirations and keep our promises of creating Kalimpong Zilla.

And we have already started the process for upgradation of Kalimpong sub-division into district JAP President Dr H.B Chhetri met WB chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee on 23rd May and had a discussion about the same for almost 45 minutes in a very cordial environment as a result, Chief Minister has already instructed her govt to expedite the process of formation of 5 new districts that includes Kalimpong as well" said Jana Andolan Party's youth leader, Pankaj Chhetri.
Kalimpong District to be formed soon claims JAP
Kalimpong District to be formed soon claims JAP
He further added "We are thankful to our president for taking this initiative....losing election didn't deter him from his goal. And I can confidently say that if ever Kalimpong district is formed, that surely will be formed soon, its all due to hard work, dedication, perseverance, and vision of our President Dr. H B Chhetri."


GJM and JAP on agitation path to protect their support base

8:31 AM
Writes Vivek Chhetri and Rajeev Ravidas

May 30: After a bitter and hard fought-Assembly election, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and its rival, Jana Andolan Party, are now busy protecting their support base and are on the path of agitation in the hills less than a month after the poll.

Four days after the poll results were announced, the JAP started a relay hunger strike at Tricone Park in Kalimpong from May 23 demanding streamlining of water distribution system in town. The party has threatened to intensify the protest if the problem is not resolved by the public health engineering under the GTA and the residents are not given water on a regular basis.

"We are likely to continue the dharna for some more time since the administration has done precious little to resolve the problem," said Nayan Pradhan, JAP secretary.
GJM and JAP on agitation path to protect their support base
The JAP is at present holding meetings at block and village levels to chalk out its future programmes.

The Morcha, too, has decided to launch an agitation to demand land rights to people living in tea gardens and cinchona plantations and tribal status for 11 hill communities.

Suraj Subba, the general secretary of the Janmukti Parcha-Patta Sangharsh Committee, said: "We have decided to hold gate meetings in front of all 87 tea gardens in the hills and in the cinchona plantations on June 13 for an hour before the start work. This is the start of our agitation and we will vigorously pursue our demand."

The Morcha's youth wing, the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha, has also decided to hold a rally in Darjeeling on June 2 to seek tribal status for 11 hill communities.

"The rally will start from Darjeeling Motor Stand and wind its way to Chowrastha," said Amrit Yonzone, the spokesman for the Yuva Morcha.

Telegraph

JAP scores more votes in municipal areas than GJM in Kalimpong

8:44 AM
RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, May 20: The newly-formed Jana Andolan Party lost the Kalimpong Assembly seat to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha but it bagged 12 per cent more votes than its rival in the municipal areas.

In the Kalimpong civic area, JAP got 12,065 votes against the Morcha's 9,295 out of the total 23,591 votes cast. It means JAP secured around 51 per cent votes, while the Morcha got about 39 per cent. Around 10 per cent votes went to others, including NOTA.

Of the 23 Kalimpong municipality wards, JAP led in 19.

Party president Harka Bahadur Chhetri said the performance was encouraging and JAP would have formed the civic board had the municipal polls been held now. "We won in the municipal area. We will continue to pursue our political agenda and contest all coming elections," he said.
 JAP president Harka Bahadur Chhetri 
Asked if JAP would contest in Darjeeling and Kurseong, he replied in affirmative.

Morcha president Bimal Gurung, however, said his party would have won all 23 wards in Kaimpong if there was a civic poll. "MLA elections, MP elections, panchayat elections and municipality elections are different from each other. I will decide what work is to be done and which candidate has to be fielded in the municipal polls. I will work on it in the coming days. I am confident of winning all 23 wards," he said.

The Kalimpong civic body is run by the Morcha with all 23 wards in its kitty. The next municipal elections are due in December.

Telegraph

GJM Sarita Rai defeated JAP Harka Bahadur Chhetri in Kalimpong by over 11,000 votes

9:19 AM
Kalimpong, May 19: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha candidate Sarita Rai defeated Harka Bahadur Chhetri in Kalimpong today by over 11,000 votes, leading to a clean sweep by the Darjeeling hills' most powerful party.

But the loss of Chhetri, the sitting MLA of Kalimpong who had broken from the Morcha and floated the Jana Andolan Party (JAP), gives rise to a fear that the new Trinamul government could put in abeyance its previous decision to form a separate Kalimpong district, a plank on which the JAP had fought the elections with support from Trinamul.

Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, whose party won Darjeeling and Kurseong as well, today surprisingly extended an olive branch to Mamata Banerjee soon after the results were declared and said that differences should be set aside and they must work together.

Gurung's relations with Mamata are currently at an all-time low and Mamata had fully extended support to Harka during the Assembly election.
GJM Sarita Rai Won by 11217 vote at ‪‎Kalimpong‬ Constituency
GJM Sarita Rai Won by 11217 vote at ‪‎Kalimpong‬ Constituency

The outgoing government, while announcing the decision to form a Kalimpong district last December, had explicitly said that its decision was influenced by Chhetri, who had quit the Morcha and raised the district issue.

Chhetri today said his loss indicated that the people of Kalimpong were not in favour of the district, but he will render all possible help to the new MLA in realising the objective as it is for the good of the people of Kalimpong.

"Now it is the responsibility of the new MLA because I am no longer in that place...Whatever effort needs to be made from my side, I will definitely do that. But, unfortunately, the people of Kalimpong have decided otherwise. They feel the district is not important to them. However, if the new MLA wants my help at any point in time, I will definitely extend that help because it is for the betterment of the people of Kalimpong," he said.

Asked if he was hopeful that the new Trinamul government would act on the decision taken by the party's previous government, Chhetri put the onus on the chief minister. "It is up to the will of the honourable chief minister. It has the cabinet committee approval. I think it should be taken forward," he said.

Telegraph

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Win is a Mandate for Hill Unity

9:02 AM
TMC
Darjeeling, Kalmpong and Kurseong 19th May 2016 The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has won all the three seats from the three constituencies in the hills, defeating the allied forces of the Jan Andolan Party, the Trinamool Congress and the Gorkha National Liberation Front. However, the victory margin was a far cry from what the party had achieved in the 2011 Assembly election.

- Amar Singh Rai, the GJM candidate from Darjeeling, polled 95,386 votes to defeat his closest rival Saradha Subba of the TMC by a margin of 49,913 votes, with her polling 45,473.

- In Kurseong, GJM candidate and former MLA Rohit Sharma got 86,947 votes as against 53,221 polled by TMC candidate Shanta Chhetri, with the win margin standing at 33,726 votes.

- Kalimpong witnessed a close fight between GJM candidate Sarita Rai and JAP president Harka Bahadur Chhetri, with the former garnering 67,693 and the latter 56,262 votes. Rai managed to win by a margin of 11,431 votes.

Thursday evening saw euphoric scenes in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong as GJM supporters who had gathered near the counting centres started singing and dancing after the results were announced. In Darjeeling, GJM supporters burst firecrackers and distributed sweets. In Kalimpong, GJM president Bimal Gurung walked nearly 2km from the counting centre to Dambar Chowk distributing sweets, and in Kurseong, GJM supporters gathered at the railway station to celebrate and savour the moment of victory.

Bimal Gurung after  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has won all the three seats from the three constituencies in the hills
Bimal Gurung after  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has won all the three seats from the three constituencies in the hills
The GJM welcomed the victory but party leaders appeared a bit thoughtful with the margin of win as in the previous election, each party candidate had won resoundingly over their rivals, by at least 1 lakh votes. The GJM president though reacted realistically to the outcome saying there were several things to be addressed. “We were confident about our victory as the people are with us. A win is a win nonetheless irrespective of the margin. However, we will definitely identify our lapses and mend them,” said Gurung in Kalimpong.

The GJM chief also congratulated TMC chief Mamata Banerjee for retaining power and expressed hope that the two sides could work together for the welfare of the hill people. Meanwhile, Chhetri, the JAP candidate and party president, expressed optimism at the outcome. “In such a short span of time we have received good response from the people. We could have fared better had the election been conducted fairly. However, our party was not formed for elections and as such we will continue to work for the people,” Chhetri said, adding his party would contest all elections in the hills henceforth.

Amar Singh Rai said, “We respect the decision of the people but we have observed that votes in favour of the opposition have increased in comparison to previous polls.” Political observers said the lower victory margin for the GJM was the outcome of several factors and it has cast a shadow on the GJM even in victory. “Overall, the GJM’s vote bank was affected by the formation of the community development boards and the TMC-JAP- GNLF alliance. In Kalimpong, the JAP played the separate district card to their advantage and managed to snatch votes,” an observer said.


Via: ECOI

Gorkha Janamukti Morcha Wins all 3 Hill Constituencies in Assembly Election 2016

3:15 PM
19th May 2016 Gorkha Janamukti Morcha has won all three Hill Constituencies, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong in Assembly Election 2016.‎ Morcha candidates Amar Rai won from Darjeeling Dr Rohit Sharma won from Kurseong and Sarita Rai from Kalimpong.

Amar Rai, Darjeeling Municipal Chairman, secured  95386  votes and won by 49913 votes in Darjeeling where TMC Sarad Rai Subba got 45473 votes.

GJM‬ candidate Sarita Rai with 67693 votes Won by 11431 vote at ‪Kalimpong‬ Constituency where she had to face a tough fight from former MLA Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri Jan Andolan Party ( JAP) with around 56262 votes.

Similarly, In Kurseong  Dr. Rohit Sharma was able to retain his Legislative Assembly seat. Dr Sharma got over 86947 and comfortably won by 33726 votes. Shanta Chhetri for All India Trinamool Congress got around 53221 votes from the constituency.
 GJM candidates Amar Rai won from Darjeeling, Dr Rohit Sharma won from Kurseong and Sarita Rai from Kalimpong.
 GJM candidates Amar Rai won from Darjeeling, Dr Rohit Sharma won from Kurseong and Sarita Rai from Kalimpong.

With GJM winning in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, Congress is winning in Matigara, Phansidewa and Islampur and CPI(M) winning in Siliguri there is no trace of TMC in Darjeeling District.

The tie up of GJM & BJP secured the alliance a total of seven seats in West Bengal, the best so far for BJP in the state. While BJP won Kharagpur and Baisnabnagar, its alliance with GJM sealed the victory in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Kalchini and Madarihat.


Jan Andolan Party (JAP) holds interactive session in Darjeeling

9:56 AM
Darjeeling 15 May 2016 The Vidhan Sabha election results are yet to be announced, but the Jan Andolan Party seems to have already started preparing for the municipality polls that are likely to take place by the end of this year. The JAP on Saturday held a closed door programme at the Nepali Sahitya Samellan hall in Darjeeling to hear out people’s grievances and suggestions.

After the meeting, JAP Bureau member Amar Lama said, “Even before the Vidhan Sabha elections, we held similar programmes to listen to the problems of the people and their suggestions on various issues. They were held only in the Kalimpong area but today, we held such a programme in Darjeeling and more will come up in the coming days. Kurseong will also be a venue later on.”

He said, “The main idea behind these programmes is to make people more participative and vocal regarding the problems they face in the municipality areas. It is not only the municipality that is responsible for making the area a better place, but people’s active participation is also very much needed. Since this was the first meeting in Darjeeling, there were only about 50 people from municipality areas, but one of the main problems they raised was the issue of high rise buildings. We will have further discussions on the matter and see what needs to be done.”
Jan Andolan Party (JAP) holds interactive session in Darjeeling
Harka Bahadur Chettri at a rally in Kalimpong
The JAP was formed on January 27 of this year by Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri who is contesting as a candidate from the Kalimpong Vidhan Sabha seat. Many believe that JAP will prove to be a strong opposition of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, with political pundits maintaining the party could have a better chance in the municipality elections as they are likely to get support mostly from the town areas.

However, when asked if the programmes were part of preparations for the municipality elections, Lama said, “We are not interested in gaining power but in raising the people’s voice and finding solutions to their problems. For the first time we fielded a candidate from Kalimpong and the difference can already been seen with very few false votes being cast there. Our party was not formed just to fight elections.” He added that the JAP had concentrated only in Kalimpong in the Vidhan Sabha polls as this was the party’s first foray at seeking popular support, and now they would being focusing on other regions of the hills.

JAP Bureau member and noted lawyer Anmole Prasad was also present at the programme.


(EOIC)

Jan Andolan Party cannot demand three-tier panchayat system in the hills - GJM

12:17 PM
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today asserted that the Jan Andolan Party does not have the general mandate to take up the demand for a three-tier panchayat system in the hills as the matter is already under discussion between the GJM and concerned authorities in Delhi.

The GJM was reacting to JAP president Harka Bahadur Chhetri’s call to all political parties in the hills, including the GJM, to take forward the demand. On April 21, the JAP called an all-party meeting in Kalimpong to discuss the demand for a three-tier panchayat system, but the meet failed to yield the desired results. Another meeting is scheduled on April 29.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri today said he was aware of the all-party meeting called by the JAP but refused to participate. “We know the JAP has called an all-party meeting later this month and we are also invited. However, we will not attend the meeting because the JAP, which was formed recently, does not have the people’s mandate to initiate such programmes,” he claimed.
Jan Andolan Party cannot demand three-tier panchayat system in the hills - GJM
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri and Harka in the past
Another contention of the GJM is that the matter of implementing a three-tier panchayat system in the hills has already been taken up by the party with the state and central governments. “We have taken up the issue in all the bipartite and tripartite meetings held so far and it is also mentioned in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration agreement and act,” Giri said.

According to the GJM general secretary, the Centre is in favour of implementing a three-tier panchayat system in the hills, but the state government is trying to skirt discussions on the matter. “We have not had a panchayat election since 2005 and the rural populace of the hills is suffering due to this. Delhi is in favour of such a system though, and we believe a constitutional amendment is required to have the system implemented in the hills. Sadly though, the state government is not serious about the issue and has not sent representatives to the tripartite meetings and this has kept the matter on hold,” Giri alleged.

During the tenure of the now defunct Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, a two-tier panchayat system was put in place in the hills as a Mahakuma Parishad was established in Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling district. However, Subash Ghisingh and his Gorkha National Liberation Front opposed the two-tier system and allowed only the gram panchayats to function. But here too, no election has been held.

Reacting to the GJM’s refusal to attend the all-party meeting, JAP general secretary Nayan Pradhan said, “We have invited all political parties including the GJM, but it is not our problem if someone doesn’t want to attend. Our objective is to try and solve the problems being faced by the rural population because of the absence of a panchayat system in the hills.”

The April 21 meeting was attended by the Trinamool Congress, the CPM, the Congress and the Gorkha Rashtriya Congress.



Source EOI

Chandra Bose's 'Gorkhaland is anti-national' remark reflects BJP's hypocrisy - Anmol Prasad

11:38 AM
JAP
Writes: Anmole Prasad

If by some miracle, wrought by the concerted efforts of a thousand godmen at a yagya burning off several tons of ghee, the BJP manages to pull off a victory in West Bengal, then it is a sobering thought that Chandra Kumar Bose, grandson of Subhash Chandra Bose, might become West Bengal's next boss. Especially sobering for the people of Darjeeling and the Dooars.

Bose is the tip of the BJP spear in the forthcoming West Bengal assembly elections - he has been anointed to contest from the Bhowanipore seat against no less than the formidable Mamata Banerjee herself. If he manages this unlikely feat, there is little doubt that he will become the next Chief Minister of West Bengal. Bose is both a Darwinian and an optimist. According to a recent interview given to Catch, he believes that the BJP will evolve into a secular party that maintains communal harmony across the country.

Alao Read 

What makes Bose particularly interesting is that he makes no bones about his views on Gorkhaland. When asked by the same interviewer what he thought about slapping sedition charges on students, Bose replied: "...I think there should be a review of the sedition law and the all other laws from the British era. Having said that, I believe slogans like Bharat ki barbaadi or Gorkhaland should be treated as an attack on the integrity of India..."

Left Chandra Bose, right Anmol Prasad
Red in the face [though by no means in outlook] the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, NDA's self-proclaimed junior partner in Darjeeling, went into damage control, penning a strongly worded letter to the BJP president urging him to implore upon Bose to issue an apology to the Indian Gorkha community for vilifying the Gorkhas. It will be interesting to see whether the BJP will make Bose comply with the demand. As it stands however, Bose has made it clear that sloganmongers shouting either Bharat ki Barbadi or Gorkhaland stand on the same footing and must be dealt with sternly.

GJM's Failure
Meanwhile, local politics in Darjeeling has become a confusing whirl, a merry-go-round with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) offering to support the GJM who, whilst coyly dallying with this offer from the Left, are themselves waiting for support from the BJP. On the other hand, the BJP itself has been charged by the GJM with the unenviable task of extracting an apology from the BJP's star candidate in the West Bengal assembly elections for his comments on Gorkhaland. Or more correctly, to quote loosely from the letter sent by GJM Supremo Bimal Gurung: Amit Shah, president of the BJP is urged to implore upon Bose to issue an apology to the Indian Gorkha community. Whether the BJP will implore or not remains to be seen.

What turns on this? Nothing much, really. The insincerity of the BJP towards the demand for a separate state was already palpable in its casual reference in the 2009 and 2014 manifestos, promising merely to "sympathetically examine the long pending demands of the Gorkhas, the Adivasis and other people of Darjeeling district and Dooars region." Even more casual was the conduct of its successive MPs from Darjeeling who, having mopped up a massive mandate on the sentiments of their voters, trotted off to New Delhi to bleat in Parliament about how "these people in Darjeeling" deserved better roads and drinking water.

When the BJP returned their massive victory in 2014, it seemed that the constellations could not have been better placed for the Gorkhaland demand. All that the GJM needed to do - or so it appeared - was to make a quick stab for the summit. The BJP had neither stakes nor any aspirations in West Bengal. Their newly formed government at the Centre took no prisoners, and did not require the support of any party from Bengal.

Had the Bill for the creation of a separate state of Darjeeling and the Dooars been placed in Parliament, their mandate in the Lower House would have passed the Bill with a deafening clang. The Upper House would have required some work but some nimble lobbying on the part of the Darjeeling leaders might have done it.

So why didn't it happen? Sincerity of purpose - or the lack of it - is merely one of many reasons. It is now clear that there was, nor will there ever be any political will within the BJP to grant statehood to Darjeeling and the Dooars. Within days of coming into contact with the GJM, the BJP bosses quickly realised that they had a pliable, unwitting ally in their hands, one that enjoyed an absolute sway over an emotional, starry-eyed populace at that. And the BJP was quick to exploit the opportunity.

MPs Who Did Nothing
The GJMM itself, unsuccessful in finding support from any other quarter in New Delhi, was only too eager to outsource its lone representative's seat in Parliament in exchange for patronage from the BJP. Their supporters, heavily invested in the belief that Gorkhaland was just around the corner, had no real say in the matter really. And thus for two consecutive terms, the Darjeeling voters elected a Member of Parliament who had no clue about the needs and aspirations of their 'people'.

Having secured a seat in Parliament cheaply in exchange for a flimsy, sloppily-worded assurance the BJP lost no time in reducing the GJM to the level of abject subservience. The same party that ushered in the arrival of the Hindu Right in the Darjeeling hills was relegated to the bottom of the heap in its own territory. Two consecutive Members of Parliament Jaswant Singh and SS. Ahluwalia were remarkable for their absence, spending more time in the corridors of the capital than in the constituency.

Like comets they would appear from time to time only to dole out what remained of their MP funds in order to staunch any criticism. Slowly but surely the GJMM lost the advantage to the BJP, finding it harder and harder to even get an appointment or audience with their own MPs. And about the way they were treated in New Delhi by their own Parliamentary representatives, the less said the better.
Years of getting away with it has inured national parties in their dealings with Darjeeling. And the blame lies squarely with our own leaders. With dreary regularity, they would ferry a virtual stranger from New Delhi, introduce him to the voters as their Great Liberator, one who would guarantee Instant Gorkhaland, and thereafter compel people to support him as their representative in Parliament.
Once the victory celebrations were over, these gentlemen of fortune would then depart for the capital, never to return for a second term. On the rare appearances they made, the local party would grovel and cringe, ushering them as chief guests from one tamasha to another. Nobody had any idea of what they did in New Delhi and at any rate, precious little information trickled back.

And so hardly anyone in Darjeeling was aware of the fact that in the early nineties, Inderjit Khuller, the MP who surfed the wave of popular support and won the Darjeeling MP's seat with the help of the GNLF, even had the audacity to oppose the Nepali language Bill in Parliament, terming it a "foreign language".

Back to Netaji's grandson, allowing for his abysmal information levels, it would still be hard for anyone to imagine that Chandra Kumar Bose didn't have any idea what Gorkhaland stood for. That Article 3 of the Indian Constitution actually permitted it. That topography, ecology, language and economic logic made it an obvious choice for these fragile Himalayas. But the Gorkhaland agitation has in more than one account been misconstrued by lazy writers as a 'conflict' or a 'separatist' movement.

Caught between the extreme insurgencies of the North-East and the complex mass politics of the mainland, Darjeeling's separate state movement has foundered in a series of crises - a crisis of leadership, a crisis of ideas and a crisis of means. Its feudal protagonists, oblivious of the suspicion and indifference with which the people of the region are perceived by the Indian Union, oblivious of national security and of national ignorance, found themselves alternately preening and posturing as Guevara-style guerillas one the one hand and as neo-Gandhians on the other. Nationalistic rhetoric was raised to a fever pitch but paradoxically parading the culture of neighbouring Nepal to emphasise one's Indianness.

The Indian identity of Gorkha was strangely referenced the name of a district in the same Nepal from which we sought to distance our citizenship. The feeble threats to 'internationalise' the issue by raising bogus claims of Kalimpong being a part of Bhutanese territory, or threats of writing to the United Nations or the Hague have nothing to further our cause. The unipolar plank of identity politics, ignoring other critical social, political and economic issues, has convinced no one and leaves New Delhi cold.

Unless newer - and less pretentious - methods of taking it forward are soon evolved, the movement for a separate state is liable to run aground - especially if our power-crazed Captain, having thrown both compass and sextant overboard, continues to insist on manning the rudder all by himself. Time perhaps, to prise his hands gently off the wheel and lead him below?


Via: Catch News
 
Copyright © Indian Gorkhas. Designed by Darjeeling Web Solutions