Gorkha Janmukti Morcha ally with BJP only in plains for Assembly Election

10:03 AM

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Siliguri

Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, March 24: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today said it will only support the BJP in the plains Assembly segments at a time the Left Front has not fielded any nominee against the party in the hills.

Earlier this month, the Left Front had said it would support the Morcha in the three hill seats.

Today, Morcha general Roshan Giri said: "We have fielded our own candidates in the three hill segments of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong as well as Islampur and Chopra in the plains. Apart from this, our choices (nominees) have been given BJP tickets from Kalchini, Madarihat, Nagrakata and Kumargram. In the rest of the seats, our party will support the BJP candidates as we are in an alliance with them. We have never sought support from other parties as we are in an alliance with the BJP."

The CPM's decision to not contest in the hills had put pressure on the Morcha with the Jan Andolan Party (JAP), alleging that Bimal Gurung's outfit had an understanding with those against statehood.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri

Today, Morcha president Gurung said: "We are confident of our victory in the hills but we have to work hard in the plains. We cannot take things lightly even in Kalchini."

The Morcha's Bishal Lama has been given the BJP ticket from Kalchini.

In the last two Assembly polls, Morcha-supported Wilson Chapramary had won from Kalchini. This time, however, Chapramary is the Trinamul nominee.

Observers said the Morcha was eager to distance itself from the CPM's announcement of support as its rivals in the hills are expected to raise the issue during campaigning.

CPM state secretariat member Asok Bhattacharya had said: "We have not fielded any candidate in the hills as we believe that the Morcha is the strongest political party there and since it is also against the TMC, we did not want any division in the anti-TMC votes. The support, however, does not mean that we are seeking support from the Morcha in the plains."

In another development, GNLF's Sagar Rai, Basant Pradhan, Jipsang Lepcha and Migma Sherpa joined the Morcha, along with 40-odd supporters.

The ABGL today named Laxman Pradhan, the party vice-president, as its Darjeeling candidate.

The names of the candidates for Kalimpong and Kurseong seats have not been finalised yet.



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BJP takes positive step to grant Tribal status to hill communities - claims Roshan Giri

11:43 AM

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Roshan Giri

Writes Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, March 11: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today claimed that the Union ministry of tribal affairs had requested the registrar general of India to "examine the proposal" of granting tribal status to 11 communities from the hills and the plains following the hill party's repeated appeals.

Morcha's claim is being seen as a move to woo the hill communities before the Assembly polls. Sources said the Morcha seemed to be preparing ground to make the ST tag issue one of its main poll planks.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri today said: "Following the Morcha's repeated appeals to grant tribal status to 11 communities (10 in the hills and one in the plains),the BJP-led government has taken a positive step."

The comments came after an RTI reply had been given to Vikram Rai, a member of the Morcha's RTI cell. Rai had wanted to know the status of the demand.

Dhiraj Chandra Ray, research officer and Central Public Information Officer, Union ministry of tribal affairs, in his reply dated March 7, 2016, had said: "... The proposal of Government of West Bengal for inclusion of 'Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunuwar, Thami and Yakha (Dewan) and Dhimal community of Darjeeling district in the list of Scheduled Tribes of West Bengal has already been sent to the Registrar General of India (RGI) to furnish their view/comments on the proposal in the year 2014. Again the Ministry of Tribal Affairs vide letter dated 9.2.2016 requested the RGI to examine the proposal and sent their comments/views. However, comments/views of RGI is awaited."

The chief of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) Bimal Gurung and Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia met Union minister for tribal affairs Jual Oram at the Shastri Bhawan in New Delhi on 19 December

Today Giri said the proposal sent by the state before the Lok Sabha polls had been rejected by the tribal affairs department under the UPA. "After the election, the state did not act on it. But after the NDA came into power, we repeatedly raised the issue not only with tribal minister Jual Oram but also with home minister Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said Giri.

In June 2014, Babul Roy, a senior research officer and CPIO# of the office of the registrar general of India, while replying to an RTI filed by a resident of Darjeeling, had stated: "... The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has withdrawn these proposals. At the moment, these are not pending in this office."

Although the 2014 RTI reply did not mention the reason for the withdrawal, it said the main criteria for determining ST status were "social and economic backwardness along with tribal characteristics".

Today, Giri said: "We are confident that the demand will be fulfiled. We appeal to the hill people to keep faith in the Morcha and the BJP."

The 10 hill communities make up more than 55 per cent of the region's population.

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GJM leaders off to New Delhi to meet BJP, seeks Gorkha candidates in Assam

8:12 AM

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Roshan Giri

Darjeeling, March 9: Senior Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders today left for New Delhi for a possible meeting with the BJP to discuss the election strategy in Bengal and request the national party to field Gorkha candidates in nearly 10 seats in Assam.

However, Roshan Giri and Binay Tamang, the general secretary and the assistant secretary of the Morcha, respectively, said they were going to Delhi to attend the World Cultural Festival organised by The Art of Living Foundation from March 11 to 13.

"We had been invited to the festival but since Bimal Gurung is unable to go to Delhi, I, along with our party leader Binay Tamang, are leaving for Delhi," said Giri.

But sources in the Morcha said the two leaders would discuss the Assembly elections in Bengal as well as in Assam.

"There are chances of the two also holding a meeting with BJP president Amit Shah. Since the Morcha is an ally of the BJP, the party wants to hold a discussion before announcing its candidates in Bengal. The two leaders have been told that they should convince the BJP leadership about the need for all opposition parties coming together in Bengal to take on Trinamul," said a source in the party.

Roshan Giri and Binay Tamang

Giri and Tamang will also be discussing Assam elections. "In the Assam elections, we want the BJP to field Gorkha candidates in at least nine seats. We want them to contest on BJP tickets," said the source.

Bimal Gurung, the Morcha president, today said in Darjeeling that they were confident that John Barla, the adivasi leader in the Dooars, would be fielded by the BJP in Nagrakatta Assembly seat in Jalpaiguri district.

"We have decided to support John Barla in Nagrakatta," said Gurung.

The Morcha also announced Haji Answar Ahmed Khan as the party's candidate in Chopra constituency in North Dinajpur district. "Since Morcha supporters wanted his candidature, we have decided to field him," said Gurung.

Khan is from Kurseong and a member of the Morcha's central committee.

Sources said the Morcha would be announcing the names of other candidates only after discussions with the BJP leadership.

"Apart from three hill seats, the party is looking at either fielding or supporting candidates in at least five or more seats in the plains," said the source.

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Harka Bahadur Chhetri declared TMC candidate on his written request - TMC

9:45 AM

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Trinamool Congress

March 6: The Trinamul secretary-general Partha Chatterjee today said Harka Bahadur Chhetri had been declared as the party's candidate in Kalimpong on the basis of his written request.

After Mamata Banerjee had declared on Friday that Chhetri would be the Trinamul candidate in Kalimpong, he said he would contest on the Jan Andalon Party ticket and the announcement was caused by the ruling party's hurriedness.

Today also, Chhetri iterated his stand in Kalimpong.

However, education minister Chatterjee said in Calcutta this evening that Chhetri's name had been included in the candidates' list as he had wanted to contest with the Trinamul symbol. "He had written to us, expressing his wish to contest with our symbol and that is why his name was announced. But, he is free to do as he pleases," Chatterjee said.

Earlier in the day, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had asked Chhetri why he was not seeking an apology from Mamata for declaring him as the Trinamul candidate in Kalimpong.

TMC Partha Chatterjee claim on Harka Bahadur Chhetri, declared him as the party's
candidate in Kalimpong on the basis of his written request

"If there has been a miscommunication (between Harka and the Trinamul leadership) and if his (Chhetri's) name was indeed announced without consulting him, why is he not seeking an apology from Mamata Banerjee?" Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said in a statement issued in Darjeeling. "We think that this was not a miscommunication and Chhetri's name was announced after due consultations."

Citing a report in The Telegraph on March 5, Giri said a senior Trinamul minister had said Chhetri had written to the party for the candidature. "If the report was wrong, why haven't Chhetri and other JAP leaders taken the minister and The Telegraph to court?" asked Giri.

In the March 5 edition, The Telegraph had said: "A Trinamul senior leader, when asked about Chhetri's candidature, today said: "Chhetri had sent a letter to Trinamul agreeing to contest as the party's candidate."

Telegraph

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GJM wants John Barla to contest election from Jalpaiguri's Nagrakata

10:01 PM

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Roshan Giri

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri today said the party wanted John Barla to contest the Assembly polls from Jalpaiguri's Nagrakata , a seat the tribal leader wanted to fight for.

Barla had said he would certainly contest from the seat but whether he would be a candidate of a party or contest as an Independent was undecided.

Giri, who was in Nagrakata today to attend a party meeting where a block committee of the Morcha was formed, said: "In recent times, some people have left our party and floated a new one. It is nothing but a front of Trinamul. We are confident that this party will never succeed in eroding our vote bank, both in the plains and the hills. For the Nagrakata Assembly seat, we want John Barla to contest as a candidate of our alliance."

Nagrakata is an ST seat. Barla is a dissident leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad.

Earlier, Morcha president and GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung had said the party would never ally with Trinamul for the Assembly polls. He had also said the party would field candidates in 10 to 15 seats in north Bengal, unlike in 2011, when the Morcha had contested from three hill seats and supported Wilson Champramari, an Independent.

Champramari had won the Kalchini seat in Alipurduar.

Gurung had also spoken about the party's alliance with the BJP, which was reiterated by the BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, who had said their only alliance in the state was with the Morcha.

Today, soon after Giri's remark, Barla who was also in the meeting, said: "People from different organisations, including some local BJP leaders, have approached me to contest from Nagrakata. It is certain that I will contest but right now, I can't say if I will contest as an official candidate of a party or an Independent. Discussions are on."

Barla said organisations such as the Progressive Peoples' Party (breakaway faction of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad) and Bharatiya Millat-e-Islamia (a Dooars minority organisation) had spoken to him.

Asked about the prospects of Barla being nominated as their candidate, Dipen Pramanik, Jalpaiguri district BJP president, said: "We cannot comment right now as the candidate selection would be done by the state leadership. But we want to make one thing very clear that we will field the candidate with party symbol."

An observer said Barla was the Morcha's best bet in the Dooars. "There is no doubt that the clout of John Barla in Nagrakata and its surrounding areas is much more than leaders of any other party."

Via Telegraph

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New building for Mirik College inaugurated by Bimal Gurung

11:22 PM

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Roshan Giri

Mirik 28.Feb.2016 New building for Mirik College was Inaugurated today by Bimal Gurung, the Chief Executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). Morcha had invited the governor to inaugurate the college building in the recent past. However, it was Gurung accompanied by Roshan Giri who is also the GTA Sabha member in-charge of the education department Inaugurated the newly constructed building.

Mirik College, established in 2000, is a government-run degree college in Mirik, Darjeeling district, India. It offers undergraduate courses in arts. It is affiliated to the University of North Bengal.

The delegation led by Roshan Giri, including Morcha Study Forum member Swaraj Thapa, former Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma and GTA executive sabha member R.B. Bhujel had approached the governor, Keshari Nath Tripathi, at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata.

New building for Mirik College

The grand inauguration ceremony of the newly constructed two storied Mirik Degree College building at Kawlay Dara which was under GTA Department of Education took place on 28th of Feb 2016.

Bimal Gurung inaugurating the newly constructed two storied Mirik Degree College building

Gurung hopeful of varsity announcement
Writes: Vivek Chhetri

Bimal Gurung  said he was hopeful that a central university would be announced for the Darjeeling hills in the Union budget today and getting it would be tantamount to accomplishing half of Gorkhaland.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley is scheduled to present the budget in Parliament tomorrow. A central varsity for the hills was promised in the GTA memorandum of agreement signed by the central and state governments and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Speaking at the inauguration of a new building of Mirik Degree College yesterday, Morcha president and GTA chief executive Gurung said: "I am very hopeful that when the budget is placed, a central university will be declared for the hills. This is something that the hill people have wanted for long and in a sense, getting a central university is like getting half of Gorkhaland."

Among the academic circles, there has been much support for a separate central varsity in the hills. This is largely because the academic session in the hills starts from March and ends in November. The hill students lose classes as colleges are closed for three months during the winter vacation from December to February, unlike in the plains. If the central varsity is set up, the academic calendar can be worked out keeping into account this factor.

Observers feel Gurung is putting himself under pressure by giving hope to the people that the central varsity is likely to be announced soon.

Gurung had been saying at public meetings for few days that he was hoping that something good would be announced for the hills in two-three days. "It was obvious that Gurung was talking about a central university that the Morcha has been harping on about for long. However, his sudden decision to specifically say the central varsity is in store for the hills has unnecessarily put himself and the Morcha under pressure," said an observer.
"What if the central university is not declared. The opposition is going to seize on the issue especially because the Morcha is an ally of the BJP. The Morcha is already facing criticism as nothing concrete was declared for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in the railway budget last week," said the observer.


The new building of Mirik Degree College has been built at Kowlay, about 1km from Mirik town, by the GTA at a cost of Rs 7.6 crore.

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Jan Andolan Party indefinite dharna for land rights begins in Darjeeling

9:40 AM

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Roshan Giri

Hill party's dharna for land rights

Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, Feb. 17: The Jan Andolan Party started an indefinite dharna on the premises of the Darjeeling district magistrate's office today to demand land rights for people living in tea gardens and cinchona plantations in the hills.

The agitation signals the launch of a campaign by the nascent political party formed by Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri to mobilise support ahead of the Assembly polls. The dharna is the first political activity by the JAP in Darjeeling town. The party's activities have so far been Kalimpong-centric.

The dharna is being organised by the Parja-Patta Demand Committee, an apolitical forum started on November 23, 2015, with the blessings of the Kalimpong MLA.

"We started as an apolitical front and on December 14, we requested the chief minister to call us for talks. The request was made through the district magistrate's office. Later, Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri also raised the matter with the state government. We are now a frontal organisation of the JAP," Sudip Karki, the convener of the demand committee, said today.

Jan Andolan Party (JAP) Flag

He added: "Even after two months, the state government has not called us for a meeting. We have, therefore, decided to sit on a dharna till we receive an invitation from the state government for a meeting."

The dharna started after Amar Lama, a member of the JAP's bureau, reached the DM's office premises around 11am today. "Once the GTA was formed, we thought issues like land rights would be raised and addressed. This has not happened. The issue has been raised by various political parties for years but none has pursued it seriously," said Lama.

Eighteen men and 11 women from Teesta Valley, Bara Pubung and Takdah tea gardens are sitting on the dharna.

Anurag Srivastava, the district magistrate, Darjeeling, said: "The demand of the agitators will be taken up with the authorities concerned."

Around 70 per cent of the nearly 8.75 lakh hill people live in tea gardens and cinchona plantations.

Tea gardens' land is leased out by the state government to individuals or companies and the lease has to be renewed every 30 years. The state is the owner of the tea gardens' land. However, the workers and their families who have been residing in tea plantations for generations since the 1850s do not have land rights.

The cinchona plantations are under the directorate of cinchona and medicinal plantation, which is a state undertaking. Like in tea gardens, the workers of cinchona plantations have no land rights.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary, Roshan Giri, termed the dharna a political drama. "This is nothing but a political stunt for elections. They have kept aside the Gorkhaland demand and are working at the direction of the government. On one hand, they say all issues can be solved by having a close relation with chief minister and on the other hand, they have started a dharna even without sitting for talks with the government," he said.


Source: Telegraph

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State government not co-operating with the GTA - GJM to Governor

10:24 AM

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West Bengal

Writes Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, Feb. 5: The GTA today invited the governor to inaugurate two college buildings in the hills and address a session of the GTA Sabha at a time the hill body's relations with the chief minister have touched an all-time low.

A four-member delegation of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha called on governor Keshari Nath Tripathi at Raj Bhavan in Calcutta today and complained about the state government's alleged non-co-operation with the GTA.

Speaking over the phone from Calcutta, Morcha general secretary and GTA executive sabha member Roshan Giri, who led the team, said: "We have requested the governor to inaugurate the buildings of Mirik College and Bijanbari Degree College (built by the GTA). We have also appealed to him to address a GTA Sabha session in May. The governor has asked us to send him formal invitation letters."

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Roshan Giri (left) General Secretary GJM

The GTA's tentative plan is to invite the governor to inaugurate the college buildings on February 28.

Morcha Study Forum member Swaraj Thapa, former Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma and GTA executive sabha member R.B. Bhujel were in the delegation.

The Morcha also complained to the governor against the state government's alleged apathy towards the hill body.

"Following the devastation caused in the hills by the earthquake and landslides last year, we had submitted an estimate of Rs 925 crore to the Centre. The Centre has released Rs 1,500 crore to the state disaster relief fund but we have not been given a single penny. We are unable to undertake even rehabilitation work in the hills," Giri said.

The Morcha leader also said that for Rs 55-crore drinking water schemes launched by the GTA, the government had only released Rs 28 crore. "As a result, we cannot complete the projects," said Giri.

He added: "Although the government had issued a notification to transfer departments such as land and land reforms, public works, food and supplies, and fire and emergency services to the GTA, the order was not implemented and employees are still reporting to the district administration. We told the governor about the dual administration."

The Morcha leader said the state had not allowed the GTA to function properly even three-and-a-half years after the hill body had come into existence. "We apprised the governor of all these issues as he is the constitutional head of the state and also administered oath to the chief executive of the GTA," said Giri.

The hill leaders had a long list of complaints against the state government. "Ninety per cent of the GTA employees are temporary. How can a body function with majority of casual employees. Formation of bodies such as the school service commission, college service commission and sub-ordinate selection board for the GTA as have been agreed upon by the Centre and state has not yet happened. Voluntary teachers are being forced to run educational institutions," said Giri.

He said the government was not even willing to sit for tripartite talks. "The last tripartite meeting was held in January 29, 2015," said Giri. A tripartite meeting scheduled for February 3 this year didn't take place and the Morcha has alleged that the talks didn't happen because of the state government's unwillingness to attend it.

Source Telegraph

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Roshan Giri Sues Harka Bahadur - filed defamation suit

9:22 AM

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Roshan Giri

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri today said a Darjeeling court has accepted a defamation suit filed by him against Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri on charges of misplaced allegations. According to Giri, last year in December, Chhetri went public accusing the GJM general secretary of asking for a 15 per cent cut from the construction work of a polytechnic college that is set to come up in Kalimpong.

Today, after receiving a court copy of Defamation Suit No.1/2016 from the civil judge (senior division), Giri briefed media persons by stating, “On December 18, 2015, he (Chhetri) had alleged that I had asked for a 15 per cent bribe from construction work of a polytechnic college in Kalimpong. This is baseless and completely false because I don’t even know the contractors who have been engaged nor when the tenders were floated.”

Roshan Giri and Harka Bahadu Chettri - file photo

The GJM general secretary alleged that the Kalimpong MLA had specifically said that Ujjwal Biswas, the state technical education minister, had raised the bribe issue in the Assembly on December 17, 2015. “We have gone through the proceedings of the December 17 session in the Assembly and have found no evidence of the minister having raised such an issue,” Giri asserted. He said that Chhetri, who severed ties with the GJM in September 2015, was indulging in opportunistic politics to defame him and the party by making false allegations.

“I have, through our party lawyer, lodged a Rs5-crore defamation case against Chhetri which was today accepted by the court. I had earlier issued a notice to the MLA. This (allegation) is a ploy to gain political weightage as he has recently floated a new political party,” Giri alleged.

Meanwhile, the Kalimpong MLA has been going hammer and tong after his former party, revealing inside matters including the autocratic way of functioning of GJM president Bimal Gurung, which Chhetri said was the reason as to why he had decided to quit the GJM.

Chhetri, who is quite articulate, has managed to get an upper hand on the GJM over the Kalimpong district issue and has even said his outfit, Jan Andolan Party (JAP), would contest the Assembly election. The MLA has taken credit for Kalimpong being approved of as a district and Mirik as a sub-division by the state cabinet as also for bringing new educational institutes in the hills citing his closeness with the state government.

However, Giri today rubbished Chhetri’s claims and said, “All issues, be they regarding a separate district or a sub-division, the construction of educational institutes and other development projects being undertaken in the hills that Chhetri is claiming credit for, is because of the GJM. We had raised all these issues when he (Chhetri) was with us and they are also mentioned in the GTA agreement and act,” the GJM general secretary maintained.

As per the tripartite agreement, Giri said polytechnic institutes would come up in Pedong, Gorubathan and Mirik in Kalimpong and eight similar multi-principal centres in the hills.

The Kalimpong MLA, when asked for his comments on the defamation suit filed against him, countered, “The issue of graft against Giri was told to me personally by the minister. So how can it be found in the proceedings of the Assembly? Moreover, I had specifically said that it was the minister who had made the allegation.”

Source EOI

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Tripartite talks among Morcha, State and Centre

7:44 AM

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West Bengal

Kalimpong, Jan. 27: The next round of tripartite talks among the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Centre and state government will be held in New Delhi on February 2.

Morcha secretary Roshan Giri told reporters in Darjeeling that his party would take up outstanding issues like the transfer of departments to the GTA, regularisation of jobs of GTA casual staff, restoration of three-tier panchayati raj system in the hills and granting of Scheduled Tribe status to 10 hill communities among others at the meeting.

"I will be representing the party at the meeting, but we are yet to decide on other members of the delegation of the GTA," he said.

The tripartite meeting had earlier been scheduled for January 5, but it was subsequently deferred.

Source telegraph

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Bimal Challenges Mamata to Contest From the Hills

8:33 AM

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Roshan Giri

Bimal Gurung, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief, yesterday dared Mamata Banerjee to contest from one of the three Darjeeling hill seats in the coming Assembly elections, saying he would then prove a point to the chief minister.

" Abhi main unko request karna chahunga ke anewala MLA chunao mein in tino mein se ek seat me unko larna chahiye. Tab main dikhaunga (I am requesting her to contest from one of the three seats from here. Then I will show her)," Gurung told journalists at Sukna this evening where he had come to attend the final of a football tournament organised by a local sport association.

The three hill constituencies are Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. The Morcha won all three seats in the last Assembly elections but right now holds none of the seats.

Harka Bahadur Chhetri, the Kalimpong MLA resigned from the Morcha but not from his seat, making him an Independent MLA.

Chhetri, who has announced that he plans to float his political outfit on January 27, by not quitting the seat violated a Morcha whip to its three MLAs to quit their seats to protest the state's high-handedness.

Of the other two MLAs, Rohit Sharma, who was the Kurseong legislator, gave up his seat as the party had instructed.

Trilok Dewan, the Darjeeling MLA quit the House seat and the party. Both Chhetri and Dewan said Gurung was dictatorial.

In the hills, Trinamul has found few takers because it is not perceived to be a local outfit.

Since quitting the party, Chhetri has started campaigning against the Morcha and was seen on the dais with the chief minister during her recent visit to the hills last week.

Asked if he was throwing a challenge to Mamata, Gurung ridiculed her dream to turn Darjeeling to Switzerland.

"Unko itna pasand hai na Darjeeling. Switzerland banayenge, aur kya banayenge. Switzerland to nahi bana, Murdaland ban raha hai (She loves Darjeeling so much. She wants to make it Switzerland and what not. Switzerland is a far cry, this is becoming a wasteland)," he said.

"Whenever she visits Darjeeling, she gives us sorrow and pain. It seems her only work is to visit Darjeeling. There is no development in Bengal, and for Darjeeling, it is divide policy. So far, she has done nothing for the hills," he reacted, when he was asked about the formation of development boards of different sections hill communities.

Accompanying Gurung to the outskirts of Siliguri were Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri and Rohit Sharma.

The Morcha leaders will also attend the organisation's Terai unit's meeting at Dagapur on Monday.

"We will attend our organisation's Terai and Siliguri sub-divisional committee's meeting tomorrow. We are going to reshuffle it. As the Assembly polls are approaching, it is obvious that we have to work on our organisation as well, so that it can function in the plains also," Gurung said.

After Chhetri's departure from the party, two of the Morcha's central committee members from Matigara-Naxalbari area resigned from the party.

The Morcha chief's recent tour in the plains and reshuffling plans for the party's Terai and sub-divisional unit are being done to keep its support base intact in the plains as well, sources said.

Source: Telegraph

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Bengal Invites GTA for Talks on Regularizing Over 5000 Casual Staff

8:01 AM

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West Bengal

Writes: Vivek Chhetri

The Bengal government has invited the GTA for talks at Nabanna on January 29 to discuss the long-pending demand of the regularisation of jobs of over 5,000 causal employees at the hill body.

"We received a communication yesterday saying the state government had called a meeting on January 29. The home secretary, Moloy De, will chair the meeting as he is also in charge of the hill affairs department," Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha as well as an executive GTA Sabha member, said today.

"I will be attending the meeting at Nabanna (Howrah). The regularisation of casual staff is an important issue for the GTA. That is the only agenda of the meeting," he added.

The state's invitation to the GTA for the bipartite meeting has come a few days after the Morcha rejected chief minister Mamata Banerjee's call for talks on any issue.

Mamata had said in Siliguri on Thursday that if anyone had problems, they should meet her for talks and there should not be agitation in the Darjeeling hills.

The next day, Morcha president Bimal Gurung said he would meet the chief minister only if she declared that she would put an end to the state government's alleged "divide and rule" policy in the hills and agreed to talk on Gorkhaland.

At the moment, there are 5,321 casual employees at the GTA and since 2007, they have been demanding that they be made permanent. According to the Janmukti Asthai Karmachari Sangathan, which is an affiliate of the Morcha, the hill body has now 4,011 vacancies.

On May 14 last year, the high court had asked the state government to convene a meeting with the GTA in four months to decide how it would set in motion the process of absorbing the casual employees of the GTA.

In the order, Justice Sanjib Banerjee also told the state to allow two representatives of the JAKS, the sole association of casual employees at the GTA, to attend the meeting on the regularisation.

But soon after, the state filed an appeal with the division bench and the directive was stayed.

On September 17, 2009, following a hunger strike, the state government had given a written assurance to the JAKS.

A fax sent by the then home secretary Ardhendu Sen had stated: "The government has authorised the DGHC to start regularisation process against the sanctioned vacancies in all categories which it is authorised to do as per the existing act and the recruitment rules there under."

The fast was lifted following the assurance. The state government, however, went back on its assurance.

In 2011, the government decided to do away with the six-month contract system for the casual staff.

Source: Telegraph

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‪‎Bodoland‬ and ‪‎Gorkhaland‬ Agitation Should Be Coordinated – Roshan Giri

8:27 AM

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Roshan Giri

Addressing the 48th annual convention of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), in Chirang district of Assam, GJM General Secretary Mr. Roshan Giri has said that time has come for both Bodoland and Gorkhaland to be formed, and that both the statehood movements must coordinate and take forward their demands together. 

Speaking at the occasion Mr. Promod Boro, president of the students union said that the students union has resolved several resolutions on its convention which dominated creation of separate Bodoland state.

‘The students union resolved to intensify more rigorous and series of movement on demand of separate state Bodoland’, Boro added.

An open session was also organized on the concluding day with Promod Boro, president of the students union in the chair.
M Kodandaram,Chairman of Joint Action Committee, Telangana graced as chief guest.Kodandaram, in his speech said that creation of new state is to be adopted by centre government to pave way good governance.

‘The demand of separate Bodoland state by ABSU and Bodo organization is genuine demand and rights spirit to protect identity, culture and tradition of the Bodos in the country. The government should create new states across the country as soon possible’, he said.

Zoramthanga,former Chief Minister of Mizoram attending the meeting as appointed speaker opined the need of creation of separate states across the country including Bodoland is need of the hour to make nation a healthy and integrated.

‘Bodoland demand issue is oldest demand in the country that has been going on democratic way.One day Bodoland state will be created as common publics are come forward to the movement’, Zoramthanga said.

Dr Kameswar Brahma, President of Bodo sahitya sabha inaugurating the open session said that the spirit and steps taking out by the students union to the welfare of students community and social upliftment in the region was appreciated.
Raja Bundela, president of National Federation for New State,ex-MPs Urkhao Gwra Brahma,Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary, were prominent guests on the session.

Mr. Giri also demanded the protection of all the Gorkhas who are currently living in Bodoland Territorial Council region. 

With inputs from Assam Times
Via TheDC

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500 voluntary teachers in ‪Darjeeling‬ hills to be regularised

9:03 PM

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West Bengal

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri today met state education minister Partha Chatterjee in Kolkata and was reportedly assured of regularising the 515 volunteer teachers of the hills who launched an agitation in October 2015.

The volunteer teachers, under the aegis of the Janmukti Insecure Secondary Teachers’ Organisation (JISTO), held demonstrations including dharnas at Lalkothi, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration headquarters, and outside the district magistrate office. The agitation was called off in November-end after Chatterjee met the teachers in Kalimpong and invited them to Kolkata for a meeting. Today, Giri issued a press statement from Kolkata that said the state education minister has assured to form an examination board to recruit the 515 volunteer teachers. “I met the state education minister with a delegation of JISTO

members and placed our demand of starting the process of regularising volunteer teachers of the hills. The minster has promised us the process would start soon,” read Giri’s press statement. The GJM leader, who is also the in-charge of the GTA education department, said Chatterjee has also promised to form an examination board to recruit the 515 volunteer teachers. “The examination board will be set up only for the appointment of the 515 teachers,” he stressed. The GTA has requested the minister to ensure the volunteer teachers are given age concession as many of them have been in service for 30 years. “These volunteer teachers are enrolled in the selection list and have been serving for nearly three decades.

Hence, we must look into their interests too and provide age concession,” pointed out Giri. JISTO general secretary Vivek Newar could not be contacted, but organisation members welcomed the development and thanked the education minister for his intervention. 

Source: EOI

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Tripartite talks on GTA on 5th January

8:17 AM

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West Bengal

Writes: Vivek Chhetri

The Union government has decided to convene a tripartite meeting among the central and state governments and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in New Delhi on January 5 to discuss various provisions of the memorandum of agreement of the GTA.

Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, today said the party had received a letter from A. Jain, director, centre-state relations, ministry of home affairs, informing the organisation of the January 5 meeting which would be chaired by Shailesh, additional secretary (C-S), at the North Block in New Delhi. "We will be raising a number of issues at the meeting," said Giri.

GJM delegation with Rajnath Singh

The officials of the GTA have also been invited to the meeting.

Implementation of a three-tier panchayat system in the hills will be one of the issues the Morcha will raise at the talks. "According to our information, the Centre has agreed in principle to implement a three-tier panchayat system for the GTA area. They want us to suggest a name for the body," said Giri.

Giri said the Morcha would also demand the transfer of 396 mouzas in the Terai and the Dooars to the GTA at the tripartite talks. Other issues like absorbing ad hoc employees into the GTA, transfer of reserve forests to the GTA, granting tribal status to hill communities, setting up a central university and complete transfer of departments will also be taken up at the talks.

The Morcha said it wanted the Centre and the state to explore the possibility of providing tax waiver, incentives and subsidies to the GTA area.

Source: Telegraph

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Roshan Giri asked 15% commission on Polytechnic college construction - Ujjwal Biswas

6:41 PM

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Roshan Giri

In a press release, Dr. Harka Bahadur yesterday alleged that “the construction of a Polytechnic college at Kalimpong was stopped as Roshan Giri had demanded a 15% commission from the company that had landed the project to build the college.”

In the release Dr. Harka has said that, “this was revealed when I questioned the Technical Education Minister Ujjwal Biswas in the Bidhan Sabha on the status of the promised Polytechnic college for Kalimpong, who responded that the construction was supposed to be undertaken by a government agency and Rs 24 crores had been sanctioned for the same… however Morcha demanded 15% of the funds sanctioned as commission, because of which the work has not been started, as the company is fearful to enter the hills, and they have said that they cannot complete the work.”

Roshan Giri Threatens to Sue Harka, After Harka Alleges “Giri Demanded 15% Commission from Company Who Landed Contract for Kalimpong Polytechnic.”

Reacting strongly to the allegations, GJM Leader Mr. Roshan Giri said, “it is completely baseless and fabricated issue, I am not even aware of such a project, let alone which company is constructing it… Harka is conspiring with the Bengal government to malign our image, and we won’t tolerate this… this is not just an attack on me, but on GTA… we will consult with our lawyers and file a defamation case against him and if necessary the Minister.”

Source DT

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GJM called off dharna in Delhi and the padayatra

12:04 PM

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Roshan Giri

Dharna and march called off

Write Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, Dec. 18: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has called off its dharna in New Delhi and suspended the padayatra undertaken by Bimal Gurung following an appeal from the Prime Minister yesterday, party general secretary Roshan Giri said.

"Since a request has come from none other than the Prime Minister of the country, we have decided to call off the Delhi dharna and suspend the padayatra of our leader Bimal Gurung. We lifted the dharna this evening," Giri said over the phone from Delhi.

The three-day Gorkhaland dharna at Jantar Mantar started yesterday and was to continue till 4pm tomorrow.

Gurung had launched the procession from Kalimpong on October 2. He had said he would walk for more than 400 days to cover 9,000km. He has already covered more than 1,500km in 60-odd days.

Bimal Gurung addressing the GJM dharna in New Delhi

 Yesterday, a Morcha delegation, along with Darjeeling BJP MP S.S. Ahluwalia met Modi and requested him to form a committee to examine the Gorkhaland demand, grant tribal status to 10 hill communities, set up a Central University and a Sainik School here and grant Rs 200 crore per annum to the GTA for two years.

After the meeting, Gurung had said: "The meeting was among the best so far. The Prime Minister requested me to lift even the three-day Gorkhaland dharna in Delhi and also the padayatra."


Source Telegraph

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Narendra Modi tells Gurung to end ongoing Dharna & March for ‪Gorkhaland‬

11:51 AM

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Roshan Giri

Writes: Vivek Chhetri

Bimal Gurung yesterday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested him to withdraw the ongoing dharna in Delhi to demand Gorkhaland and a padayatra he had been taking out in the hills for over two months.

The appeal came at a meeting between a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha delegation led by Gurung and Modi in Delhi today.

A three-day dharna began at Jantar Mantar in Delhi today to demand Gorkhaland.

"The meeting was among the best so far. The Prime Minister requested me to lift even the three-day Gorkhaland dharna in Delhi and the padayatra. He has said he is sympathetic towards the Gorkhas and we must work together. He also said the Gorkhas must use him for the good of the community," Gurung told The Telegraph over the phone from Delhi.

"The delegation discussed various aspects relating to their demands with the Prime Minister and requested him to consider them sympathetically," a PMO statement said.

The Morcha chief gave an indication that he might heed Modi's request to withdraw the dharna and the march.

"When an appeal is being made by the Prime Minister of India, we have to take it seriously. He is, after all, a man who is running the country. We will hold a meeting among ourselves in Delhi tomorrow and decide on our future course of action," said Gurung.

Modi with Gurung

The Morcha also requested Modi to form a committee to examine the demand of Gorkhaland. "He said the government was looking into the demand. We feel positive after talking to the Prime Minister today," said Gurung.

Roshan Giri, general secretary of the Morcha who was also part of the delegation, said: "In fact, the Prime Minister also told us not to be bothered about the politics of Bengal and asked us to work together."

The Morcha delegation requested Modi to grant tribal status to 10 hill communities, extend a Rs 200 crore annual assistance to the GTA for the next two years and set up a Central University and Sainik School in the hills.

Source: Telegraph

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Gorkhaland and the turn of 2015 - chat with Gurung

8:59 AM

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West Bengal

Writes Jyoti Thapa

A morning chat in New Delhi, 15 December with Bimal Gurung over his achievements in 2015 and what he looks forward to in 2016.

Bimal Gurung, the Chief Executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, is looking slimmer since I last met him a few years ago. He attributes the weight loss to the Gorkhaland Jagran Padyatra that he has undertaken to reach the people of the Darjeeling Hills and Dooars. Non-violent protest marches is the 21st century’s most popular philosophy. The foundation was set eighty-five years ago in British-India, when on 12 March 1930, sixty-one year old Mohandas Gandhi set forth on his historic Salt or Dandi Satyagraha (Truth-Force) march from Ahmedabad to the coastal village of Dandi in Gujerat. The 290 km foot-march triggered the Quit India movement drawing in much attention and admiration as a non-violent form of protest for rightful assertion of justice. Gandhi’s approach of self-suffering to uplift the sufferings of the people continues to influence many national and global leaders till date and Bimal Gurung is one of them.

As the Gorkhaland agitation stretches into a further period of uncertainty, Gurung has launched his long journey to boost the spirit of the hill people, listen to their grievances and reassure faith. The firebrand leader of the demand-for-Gorkhaland-state terms the Padyatra as the most significant event of 2015 for him. He has already notched up 1200km of footsteps starting on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Composed and soft-spoken Gurung reminisces of the pre-2008 era when violence was rife in the hills and how he has succeeded in bringing it down considerably. It may be remembered that Gurung rose to power in 2008, after breaking away from his mentor the late Subhash Ghising, leader of the Gorkha National Liberation Front. Gurung formed the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Party taking over the torch for Gorkhaland and the hopes of the hill people. Between coping with situations at home, the WB State Government and the Central Government, he daily faces the question of when will he deliver Gorkhaland to the people.

Gurung is much satisfied with the Padyatra as he directly gets to meet the people. He seeks to reassure people who were terrified, saying that earlier their leaders would represent them but now he is listening to their issues directly. The march itself is a very taxing ordeal but what keeps him going is that only by suffering himself he can reach the sufferings of the people. Gurung’s Padyatra seeks to keep the hopes of the people’s demand for Gorkhaland alive against all odds.

On the statehood issue, Gurung asserts that the granting of Gorkhaland will create security for India in the most delicate region—the Chicken’s Neck, a narrow corridor through which India connects with the North-eastern states, extremely vulnerable to infiltration as it lies surrounded by three foreign nations, namely Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Where the issue of West Bengal is concerned, Gurung is emphatic that the problem is not with the Indian Bengalis. However, there is no doubt that the Darjeeling Hills is an economically profitable region which the WB state does not want to give up. He says that nobody was ever interested in the region of the Darjeeling Hills till the British from Calcutta decided to build a sanatorium there and try some tea cultivation. Now with its valuable source of tea, tourism and timber the region has become invaluable. But the hill people want their identity as a separate state and not as West Bengal. He has a point there as hills and plains have been and are totally different cultures. That is why it was considered essential to separate the hill states of Himachal Pradesh from Punjab in 1971 and Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

Year 2016 for Gurung is to complete the record-breaking 9000 km stretch of the Gorkha Jagran Padyatra. With 7000 odd km more to go he sure has many a mile to walk and talk. It will amount to about two and half months of journeying through backward terrain and some sensitive areas too. It may be recalled here that in February, 2011 while Gurung was conducting a Padyatra in the Dooars, there was police firing on them at Sibchu, resulting in the death of three of the party workers.

Gurung wishes Happy New Year to all with a special message to Gorkhas in all corners of the world ‘Desh-bidesh ma basey bhayo, Hamro Jaati Maya huna parcha’-- ‘Settled in India or abroad, we should always love our community’

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GJM asks Harka to demand Gorkhaland , hold Dharna at Nabanna

8:01 AM

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Roshan Giri

Writes: Vivek Chhetri

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today dared Harka Bahadur Chhetri and supporters of the District Demand Committee to hold a dharna at Nabanna, saying the demands he and the panel were raising could not be fulfilled by the GTA because of interference by the state government in its functioning.

The Morcha has also asked the committee to include formation of Gorkhaland in the 13-point charter of demands in the dharna.

The committee, whose chief co-ordinator is Kalimpong MLA Chhetri, had started an indefinite dharna in Kalimpong yesterday with 13 demands, including the upgrade of Kalimpong subdivision to a district.

The committee filed a police complaint today, saying there was an explosion near the venue of the dharna. The police said there was no blast and some people might have burst firecrackers.

The committee also seeks resolution to the issue of electricity dues incurred during the Morcha's statehood agitation, repair of roads, three-tier panchayat elections in the hills, solution to unemployment problem, land rights to tea garden and cinchona plantation workers, regulated market in Kalimpong, rights to workers of unorganised sectors and upgrade of Kalimpong hospital. The other demands are disclosure of GTA plan for overall development of Kalimpong, inclusion of 396 plains mouzas in the GTA and regularisation of the jobs of casual staff at the GTA.

In a statement issued today, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said: "Had the state not interfered in the working of the GTA and had all promises made by chief minister Mamata Banerjee been fulfilled, the issues raised by the district committee would have easily been resolved by the GTA. Even Harka had in the past admitted the state's interference in the GTA's functioning. Instead of holding a dharna in Kalimpong, Chhetri and the District Demand Committee should hold a dharna against the state government at Nabanna, Calcutta."

Chhetri also said: "At the moment, Harka shares a very good rapport with the chief minister. If he is a true Gorkha, he should also include the demand of Gorkhaland in his list of demands and stage a dharna at Nabanna."

Observers believe Chhetri would find it hard to raise the Gorkhaland demand with Mamata who is tooth and nail against the division of Bengal.

Source: Telegraph

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