All hill party meeting for Kalimpong district in Darjeeling

10:59 AM

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Roshan Giri

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

"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

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Morcha to plan movement demanding land rights to tea and cinchona workers

7:38 AM

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Roshan Giri

Writes: Vivek Chhetri

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to start a movement demanding land rights for tea garden and cinchona plantation workers and minimum wages for tea estate labourers.

The party will form a 50-member committee that will have Morcha representatives and apolitical people from tea gardens and cinchona plantations, to chalk out the course of action.

The decision was taken at a meeting of members of the Morcha central committee, representatives of Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union (tea and cinchona units) and elected GTA Sabha members at the Gorkha Rangamanch Bhawan today.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said: "It has been decided that a 50-member committee will be formed on May 15 to pursue the demand of land rights and minimum wages for tea garden workers. The committee will chart the future course of agitation."

Morcha representative handing over demand for Land rights to Union Commerce and
Industries Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Morcha sources said this was the first time in "three-four years" that a joint meeting of the party central committee and the union leaders from gardens was held. "It is probably an outcome of opposition parties mobilising support in the hills," said a union leader.

The hill tea gardens have around 55,000 permanent and 20,000 temporary workers and nearly 5,000 people work in the cinchona plantations.

After its formation, Harka Bahadur Chhetri's Jana Andolan Party had laid stress on demanding land rights for tea and cinchona workers. Some JAP leaders from the Teesta Valley region in Darjeeling subdivision who took up the cause, however, joined the Morcha before the Assembly elections.
Today, Giri said: "The Left Front government had called a meeting in Calcutta on July 22, 2009, to look into the issue of granting land rights to tea garden workers. The meeting had been attended by land and land reforms commissioner and the principal secretary of commerce and industries department among others. Representative of the Consultative Committee on Plantation Associations had, however, expressed their opposition, after which the issue was not pursued. The TMC government did not hold a single meeting on this."

Giri said the Morcha would consult legal experts to see if the GTA could grant land rights to the cinchona workers.

"The GTA Act states that matters related to settling land rights and renewing lease of cinchona plantation lies with the GTA," he said.

Section 26 of the GTA Act says the hill body will have "administrative, financial and executive powers in the region in relation to cinchona plantation and settlement of land in possession of plantation inhabitants; management of lease of cinchona lands etc."

The state government has formed a committee to look into the minimum wage issue.

Meanwhile
Workers of Dooteriah tea estate, 25km from Darjeeling, have threatened to block NH55 on May 18 if the management fails to clear their dues by May 14.

"The garden is owned by Trinamul Rajya Sabha member K.D. Singh and wages have been due since January. If it is not cleared we will block NH55 at Ghoom on May 18," said Ashok Rai, a garden employee. The estate has 1,372 labourers.

Source Telegraph

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Jana Andolan Party drivers allegedly attacked by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha

12:10 PM

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Roshan Giri

Writes Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, May 3: The Jana Andolan Party today alleged that drivers of two vehicles carrying its supporters had been attacked by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha members outside the latter's office at Singamari here today at the direction of Bimal Gurung.

The party led by Harka Bahadur Chhetri also said JAP supporters had been manhandled by the employees of the GTA at Lal Kothi later in the day and denied entry to the headquarters of the hill body.

Asked about the two incidents, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said: "The allegations are false and they have staged this act to gain sympathy of the public."

Around 40 members of the JAP had come to Darjeeling today by vehicles to submit a memorandum to Darjeeling district magistrate and GTA principal secretary Ravi Inder Singh demanding a three-tier panchayat system in the hills. The supporters alighted from vehicles outside the DM's office along Lebong Cart Road.

Jana Andolan Party 

Sangdo Lepcha, who was driving one of the vehicles, said: "Since I did not get space to turn and park my vehicle (near the DM's office), I proceeded towards Singamari and reached near the Morcha's office. Six Morcha supporters came from the party office and attacked me. Bimal Gurung was present at the office then and the attack took place at his direction."

The other driver to be allegedly attacked by the Morcha members was Pravin Adhikari. The Telegraph couldn't independently verify if Gurung was present in the Morcha office. The JAP supporters filed an FIR at the Darjeeling Sadar police station.

Chhetri and other senior JAP leaders later went to Lal Kothi - the administrative headquarters of the GTA - to submit the memorandum.

"At Lal Kothi, our supporters were manhandled by the GTA employees manning the gates and even the media were denied entry. Is Lal Kothi a private property of the Morcha? I will definitely lodge a complaint with the hill affair's department," said Chhetri.

Only five JAP leaders were allowed to enter Lal Kothi.

The GTA staff said they were denying admission to the JAP supporters as a directive had come from GTA principal secretary.

About the attack on the drivers, the outgoing Kalimpong MLA said: "They were attacked at Singamari following the directive of Gurung. All Morcha leaders were present in the party office at that time."

Via Telegraph

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GJM Bimal Gurung upset with leaders, might reshuffle organisation

10:58 AM

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Roshan Giri

Darjeeling, April 29: Bimal Gurung has expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's municipal councillors and GTA Sabha members and said the organisation might be reshuffled from the grassroots level, said sources in the party.

The Morcha president held a closed-door meeting with members of the party's central committee and subdivisional committees at Malidhura in Darjeeling yesterday.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said it was "an internal meeting called to assess the recent election". Those who attended the session said off record that at the meeting, Gurung had not hidden his displeasure with the Morcha leaders' functioning.

"My party representatives are committing a lot of mistakes and I have to bear the brunt of your mistakes. It is time for self-correction by party leaders," Gurung was quoted to have said at the meeting by a source.

GJM chief Bimal Gurung

Gurung reminded the Morcha's municipal councillors and GTA Sabha members that their duty was to serve the people. "Don't take your chair for granted. The chair is not for earning money but to serve the people. Those who are in power are expected to do good work," Gurung reportedly said at the meeting.

The source said Gurung had specifically pointed to the collapse of a staircase connecting HD Lama Road with Chowk Bazar in Darjeeling on Tuesday. "Gurung said such incidents were bringing a bad name to the party's image and there should be no dereliction of duty by authorities concerned. He also expressed anguish at the growing congestion in town," said the source.

"Change is needed for the good of the party and also for the hill people," the source quoted Gurung as saying.

The GTA chief executive also warned that if need be, the Morcha would be reorganised from the bottom. "Gurung went to the extent of saying if needed, the party must be prepared to rebuild its organisation from the grassroots," said the source.

Gurung has also directed party workers not to wait till the election results to start a campaign to highlight the importance of the demand of granting tribal status to 10 hill communities.


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

12:17 PM

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Roshan Giri

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.

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

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GJM to complaint against development boards to Election Commission

11:28 AM

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TMC

Morcha mulls moving EC against development boards

It’s election time and things have started heating up in the hills. For one, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission against the community development boards formed by the state government for allegedly violating the model code of conduct.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri yesterday said the chairmen of the Sherpa, Bhutia, Tamang, Mangar, Khambu Rai and Limbu community development boards held an indoor meeting on Friday in Darjeeling where they decided to support the Trinamool despite holding offices of profit.

On Friday, representatives and members of the six associations under the radar held a meeting to decide ways to pursue measures for safeguarding and promoting their tradition, culture and language. The contentious issue of which party to support in the election was also discussed in the meeting and the associations unanimously decided to extend support to that political party (read TMC) that had helped the communities.

However, all the six chairmen had clarified the meeting was not convened by the development boards but by the associations and that they had not forced any member to vote for the TMC or any other political party.

“We will approach the ECI and lodge complaints against the six development boards for violating the model code of conduct. How can officials of development boards that function under the state government speak for a party? These officials receive salary and vehicles and other perks from the state government,” Giri said following the public meeting held by the GJM this afternoon in support of the party’s candidate from Darjeeling.

Nonetheless, the GJM general secretary was quick to add that the development boards would not affect his party’s prospects on April 17, the day of voting. “We are more concerned about polling being fair and clean even though we are confident of winning handsomely even if the development boards support the TMC,” he said.

GJM president Bimal Gurung also echoed Giri saying the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC would taste defeat, in spite of the state government showering money worth crores to the boards ahead of the election. “She has spent crores on the development boards just to garner votes. But one must remember that when it comes to issues pertaining to identity, statehood and aspirations, the hills will always remain united even if more doles are offered,” he said.

“The state government may try to tear us apart by creating divisions. But we will keep on mending the damage until we achieve statehood,” thundered Gurung to loud applause from the crowd gathered at the Motor Stand area of town.

According to the GJM chief, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise during his April 7 speech in Siliguri that the 11 communities of the hills would be granted tribal status was a stepping stone towards achieving statehood. “Modi-ji himself told me that day that the 11 communities would be granted tribal status. I would like to remind you that he once said the dreams of the Gorkha people were his dreams too. We must remember that things are achieved one at a time,” said Gurung, adding he has invited the prime minister to Darjeeling.

Darjeeling GJM candidate Amar Singh Rai trained his guns on the TMC-JAP-GNLF ‘jote’ (alliance) saying it was temporary and that its intentions were ill. “JAP says development is its priority, the GNLF wants Sixth Schedule status and the TMC is anti-Gorkhaland. The alliance is an unholy nexus against our statehood aspiration and will be scattered when they taste defeat,” he said.

Meanwhile, the other GJM leaders who spoke at the campaign meeting appeared more interested in denouncing JAP president Harka Bahadur Chhetri than rallying for the party candidate.


Via: EOIC,

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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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