Showing posts with label political news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label political news. Show all posts

GJM ready for alliance "Sole Aim is To Defeat Trinmool" - Bimal Gurung

10:30 AM
Bimal Gurung today said the sole aim of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the coming Assembly polls was the defeat of Trinamul and the hill party was ready to forge an alliance with the CPM or the Congress for the purpose.

Talking to journalists at Dagapur, near Siliguri, yesterday afternoon, the Morcha president said: " Trinamul ko jaise bhi ho harana hai (Trinamul has to be defeated anyhow)."

Gurung went on: "We had supported Trinamul in the 2011 Assembly polls and given a reply to the erstwhile (Left Front) government through the ballot after it had fired bullets at us. It seems the time has come again to give a befitting reply to the chief minister and Trinamul, who are indulging in the politics of division. We are in the process of devising a strategy to ensure Trinamul's defeat and will field candidates in the maximum possible Assembly seats across north Bengal. We are against the divisive politics and will soon organise a public meeting in Siliguri, in which people from different communities will participate in large numbers."
GJM ready for alliance "Sole Aim is To Defeat Trinmool" - Bimal Gurung
GJM ready for alliance "Sole Aim is To Defeat Trinmool" - Bimal Gurung
This is the second time in the past 24 hours that the Morcha chief has spoken in an aggressive manner against Trinamul. Yesterday, he had challenged Mamata to contest from any of the three Assembly seats in the hills.

Asked if the Morcha would ally with anti-Trinamul parties, Gurung did not rule out the possibility.

"There might be an alliance with the Congress or the CPM, but we will never tie up with Trinamul. The chief minister is doing politics in a dangerous manner in the hills by forming boards for different communities. She has never taken any such decision with regard to the plains where several minority communities live in. This shows she is resorting to divisive politics only in the hills. We will no longer let such politics work in the hills and will take all possible efforts to defeat her party in the Assembly elections," said the Morcha chief.

Gurung, a Morcha source said, would launch the election campaign highlighting peace and amity.

"He visited the Terai today and will tour the Dooars to kick-off our election campaign. The idea is to explain how the hills are suffering because of Trinamul's politics," the source said.

However, CPM state secretary, Surjya Kanta Mishra, however, said the Morcha would have to snap ties with the BJP to form an alliance with the Left.

Told about Gurung's comment on an anti-Trinamul alliance, Surjya Kanta Mishra said in Siliguri: "They (Morcha) will have to snap its ties with the BJP and then, it can join hands with us. We cannot induct anybody who has ties with the BJP into our fold. Like we want Trinamul to be removed from power in the state, we want the BJP to be dislodged from the Centre."

Later in the evening, Morcha sources said the Terai committee of the party had been reshuffled and Shankar Adhikary was made the new president and Babu Lama the general secretary.

Source - Telegraph‎

GNLF to intensify its agitation for Sixth Schedule

9:13 AM
The GNLF held a meeting in Darjeeling on Sunday to commemorate the signing of a memorandum of settlement by the Centre, state and former party president Subash Ghisingh on December 6, 2005, to bring the hills under the Sixth Schedule.

At the meeting, Bhanu Lama, the organising secretary of the GNLF, said the party would intensify its agitation to bring the hills under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

GNLF marks 6th Scheduled Accord Signing Day Samjhauta Divas
GNLF marks 6th Scheduled Accord Signing Day Samjhauta Divas

Harka Bahadur Chhetri to from new political party

9:08 AM
Writes Rajeev Ravidas

Kalimpong, Dec. 6: Harka Bahadur Chhetri today said he planned to float a political party, months after he left the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Chhetri, who heads the Kalimpong District Demand Committee, did not give a clear answer when asked what his prospective party's stand would be on the Gorkhaland issue.

Chhetri today said there was a need to bring about political change in the hills and the formation of a district was the first step in that direction.

"The second and third steps will follow. We are thinking about it (forming a party) in the district demand committee because we are being pressured by our friends and supporters to launch a party," he said.

Asked if the decision to form the party was more or less finalised, Chhetri said: "More finalised, not less."

He added: "There can't be politics without a political party. A party is required to provide good administration. We will discuss this among ourselves and take a decision soon. It will not take long."

Asked what the new party's stand on the demand for Gorkhaland would be, the Kalimpong MLA said: "We are at primary school. Gorkhaland is a university. We will first have to think of getting to secondary school and then on to college. Maybe, we will not be able to reach university in our generation, the next generation possibly can," he said.

Last week, officials in Nabanna, the state secretariat, had said finishing touches were being given to the Kalimpong district demand. Some sources said Mamata Banerjee wanted to back Chhetri as a local counter-point to the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Assembly elections are barely five months away, and Chhetri's willingness to float a party now is interesting in this context too.

In the general elections in 2014, Trinamul had fielded Bhaichung Bhutia from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat. The Morcha did not support him, saying he is not a local face. But it supported the BJP's S.S. Ahluwalia, who is also not a local face but belongs to a party that had shown some willingness initially to hear out the Morcha on Gorkhaland.

Trinamul has a unit in the hills, but has no leader with a mass following. Chhetri is not a leader of the masses either, but as the MLA of Kalimpong, he enjoys the goodwill of residents in the subdivision.

The MLA said the new party would not be restricted by geography or ethnicity. "We are looking at a huge canvas. We will empower the people. We will focus on real issues concerning the people and work to provide them with basic necessities that continue to elude them," he said.

Chhetri said the land rights of tea garden and cinchona workers would be the priority of the new party.
Harka Bahadur Chhetri to from new political party
Harka Bahadur Chhetri 
"These workers have been living in the plantations for 200 years, but their condition is pitiable. It will be gross injustice not to give them land rights. I have already taken up the matter with the government," he said.

Tea garden land is leased out by the state government to companies and the lease has to be renewed every 30 years. The state is the owner of the tea gardens' land. 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.

Source Telegraph

GJM and Mamata govt. on collision course

11:40 AM
The warming up of ties between the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and the state government, which renewed only recently, appears to be heading towards a collision course once again over the issue of construction of a school building in Darjeeling town.
Hill Students Against Demolition Order of ‪RKSP‬ School
Hill Students Against Demolition Order of ‪RKSP‬ School
A month or so ago, the district administration had issued an order and stopped construction work on a new structure to house the Ramakrishna Siksha Parishad (RKSP) School on Birch Hill Road. The reason given was that the upcoming structure was making the area vulnerable from the security point of view as the Governor’s House is located on the opposite side of the road. In protest, the Gorkha Janmukti Vidhyarthi Morcha today mobilised hundreds of students from various schools including the teaching and non-teaching faculty of RKSP School and organised a silent rally from the Railway Station to the district magistrate’s office. The central, sub-divisional and town committees of the GJM also participated in the rally to extend moral support. The students’ union submitted a memorandum to the additional district magistrate in the DM’s absence demanding construction work of the new school building be allowed to continue.

“There are several tall buildings and structures near the Writers’ Buildings in Kolkata. Why is there no security concern over there? Why is a different set of rules being followed for the hills and the plains?” wondered GJVM spokesperson Sandip Chhetri. The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has already sanctioned Rs6 crore to convert RKSP into a model school with complete modern facilities. The project started in January and the old three-storeyed structure was dismantled in March to make way for a new building. The new building (also three-storeys high) is slated to be completed by early next year. More than 1,200 students of the school are presently attending classes 2.5km away in makeshift tin and plywood shades set up in the playground of Darjeeling Government High School at Dhobi Talau, in the lower fringes of town.

“The poorest students of Darjeeling study in RKSP, and their future is in jeopardy with construction work being suspended. Further, continuous rainfall and the subsequent noise are making it difficult for the students to concentrate in their studies,” pointed out GJVM general secretary Bhaskar Rai. GJM leaders today held a meeting and formed a 16 member coordination committee comprising party leaders, the Darjeeling municipality chairman and building owners to formulate strategies to legally challenge the district administration’s order. RKSP School was founded in 1944 by Swami Prabhudananda and has classes up to the 12th standard offering courses in Arts, Science and Commerce streams. The Darjeeling superintendent of police had originally objected to the construction work of the school maintaining that the stretch from the Gorkha Ranga Manch Bhawan to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was a sensitive zone owing to the presence of the Governor’s House and other government buildings. The SP has also observed that several structures on the stretch were being constructed without following the prescribed building norms. ADM U.

Swaroop confirmed receiving a memorandum from the students’ union. “Construction work has been stopped because the upcoming building is very near the Governor’s House and this could pose security threats. There is no question of any kind of interference from our side. As for the memorandum, I will forward it to the higher authorities,” he said. On Monday, the school authority as well as the Darjeeling municipality attended a hearing in the sub-divisional magistrate court and where they were issued an order. The SDO’s order states that construction work of any kind in the stretch between the Gorkha Ranga Manch Bhawan and HMI would require permission from the executive magistrate’s office after submitting relevant documents.

Source: EOI

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leadership unhappy with Mamata Banerjee

1:50 PM
Mamata moves upset Morcha

Writes Vivek Chhetri

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leadership is getting increasingly unhappy with Mamata Banerjee's style of functioning visa-a-vis the hills less than a fortnight after Bimal Gurung welcomed the chief minister in Darjeeling with a bouquet.
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leadership unhappy with Mamata Banerjee
The Morcha's disillusionment with the chief minister stems from her move to launch a campus of the Presidency University in the hills and the district administration's crackdown on illegal buildings in Darjeeling.

Mamata is scheduled to visit Kurseong and Kalimpong for three days from September 16.

"On one hand, Mamata Banerjee talks about the welfare of the hill people and gives an impression that she is now close to the Morcha leadership. But on the other hand, she continues to promote sectarian politics, interfere in matters related not only to the GTA but also Darjeeling municipality. The chief minister is also using the district and police administration to promote her vested political interests," a senior Morcha leader said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak by Bimal Gurung.

Relations between Mamata and Bimal Gurung were perceived to have improved considerably, especially after a meeting between the two leaders at Richmond Hill in Darjeeling on June 17.

The Morcha leader said whenever the chief minister visited Darjeeling, "some problem or the other is created or left behind". "During two of her visits to Darjeeling this year, she created the Sherpa board and Bhutia board, which we believe is part of an agenda to divide and rule the hill people," said the Morcha leader.

Mamata is scheduled to attend a public meeting of the Lepcha community at the Mela Grounds in Kalimpong on September 17, followed by anther meeting of the Tamang community the next day.

On September 16, Mamata is expected to inaugurate an educational hub in Kurseong, including a campus of Presidency University. The Morcha leadership is, however, is against the campus as they believe such an institution of higher education will dilute the demand for a central university.

"Apart from all this, the government is now directing the district administration to dismantle buildings in Darjeeling. A team of the building verification committee is scheduled to reach Darjeeling tomorrow. Issues related to construction vests with the civic body but the state government is also interfering in the matter," said another Morcha leader.

"Maybe the state government wants to take control of the Darjeeling municipality area by spreading terror among the residents of Darjeeling vis-à-vis the high rises," said the Morcha leader.

Morcha leaders are expected to hold a meeting with Bimal Gurung on September 9 on these issues, once he returns to Darjeeling from Digboi, Assam, where he is presently visiting.

Source Telegraph

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to field own candidates for SMP elections

"GJM, (Gorkha Janmukti Morcha) has several supporters in the Terai region who have been extending full support to the Gorkhaland movement ever since the inception of the GJM. Considering the views and aspirations of the people of the Terai region, GJM has decided to field it's own party candidates in the upcoming SMP (Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad) elections," Gurung said in a press release.
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to field own candidates in SMP elections
Bimal Gurung & John Barla
"The people of the Terai region have various problems, which can be solved only in a localized manner. The decision was taken by keeping this in mind," he added. According to Gurung, it was the unity of GJMM supporters that helped Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate SS Ahluwalia (Darjeeling MP) emerge victorious in the last Lok Sabha polls. "I have full hope that this time our candidates will emerge victorious as well," Gurung said. However, he did not disclose the names of the candidates.

Another regional party, the Kamtapur Progressive Party (KPP), which has a significant support base in the Matigara, Naxalbari, Kharibari and Phansidewa blocks in the plains, has said it will soon clear the air on whether it will support the BJP in the SMP elections or go it alone.

The State Election Commission (SEC) is likely to issue a notification for the SMP elections in the first week of September. The SEC has already informed anti-Trinamul political parties in writing that the SMP elections will be held on 3 October.

"The notification will be issued just a month before the 3 October polls, if things go in the right direction," SEC commissioner SR Upadhyay had told The Statesman on 18 August.

Source - Statesman 

GRC demands clear stance on Gorkhaland from PM Narendra Modi

11:41 AM
The Gorkha Rashtriya Congress (GRC) championing the merger of  Darjeeling with Sikkim state has sought the Central government’s stand on the demand for creation of a separate Gorkha state.
Gorkha Rashtriya Congress (GRC)
Gorkha Rashtriya Congress (GRC) - File photo
The GRC has also decided to write and open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the union home ministry in a couple of days, seeking their clarification.

The outfit’s letter and demand comes in the wake of BJP’s Darjeeling MP S.S.Ahluwalia’s pro-Gorkhaland stand during the Independence Day speech in Kalimpong on August 15. He had said, “If a person from Punjab can say he is from Punjab…when Bengalis say they are from Bengal…Tamils say they are from Tamil Nadu…when will the Gorkhas say they are from Gorkhaland?  The Gorkhas are known for their honesty, responsibility and sincerity. Their dreams and struggle for a separate Gorkha state should be fulfilled”.

Today, speaking to reporters in Darjeeling, the GRC working president Asoke Lepcha said the Prime Minister and the BJP party should make their stand clear. “On August 15, the Darjeeling MP spoke for a Gorkha state and even in 2009 the BJP had included the demand in its election manifesto. The PM himself has said the dreams of the Gorkhas are his.

So it is imperative that the Modiji and the central government clarify their stand as people in the Hills are a confused lot,” he said.

The GRC working president alleged that the BJP party using the Gorkhaland demand plank had managed to win the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014 but failed to deliver, even after all these years. “The political parties are playing with the Gorkhaland sentiments and using the people as vote banks. This is unfair and people have the right to know what their leaders and party they elected truly has to say about the statehood demand,” said Lepcha.

The GRC leader also cited the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988 and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in 2012, as examples of how the Government worked to curb the statehood demand over the years.

The GRC also criticized the GTA and the Sikkim government deciding to work together to demand tribal status to the Gorkhas of the country. “It is a conspiracy of the Sikkim government with help from the GTA, to dilute our struggle for merging Darjeeling with Sikkim. We have got positive feedbacks from the central government about the merger issue,” claimed Amar Loksom, the GRC general secretary.

The GRC has already communicated with the central government to pursue the merger of Darjeeling with Sikkim. It has reasoned that Darjeeling historically belonged to Sikkim and was never a part of Bengal, case which was highlighted by former Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu who had brought a white paper in 1986 authenticating GRC’s claim.

Source EOI

Gurung cancelled Delhi trip to attend program with Mamata Banerjee

10:50 AM
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung in a last minute decision has cancelled his Delhi trip and instead has decided to attend Tuesday’s government program (Clean and Green Darjeeling) with chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Darjeeling, to keep alight the renewed bonhomie.
Bimal Gurung and Mamata Banerjee in Darjeeling
 Bimal Gurung and Mamata Banerjee in Darjeeling a file photo
The GJM president was supposed to leave for Varanasi today, to engage in pre-planned prayer rituals there. He was than to head to Delhi to meet central ministers and also the Prime Minister and return back to Darjeeling on August 30.

The Bengal chief minister arrived in Darjeeling today evening and will launch the pre-announced “Clean and Green Darjeeling” project at Chowrastha on Tuesday.

The clean and green Darjeeling project was originally scheduled to be launched by the CM on August 6. However, the flood situation in Bengal at that time forced Banerjee to cancel her trip to the Hills. Gurung on the other hand had left for Delhi on August 1 but had apprised the CM about his absence.

However this time, political analysts said Gurung did not want to give the impression that he was avoiding the chief minister. “If Gurung had left without meeting or attending the program it would send the wrong signal that he was purposely avoiding the Bengal CM. After much give and take, relation between the GJM and the state government is started to mend. Gurung now does not want the Banerjee to bear any kind of misunderstanding,” the analyst pointed out.

To ensure no bad-air in the event of his absence, the GJM chief during had instructed his Sabhasads and party leaders to give the CM a warm welcome during the Sahid Diwas program on July 27 when he had initially said he would not be in Darjeeling.

Most GJM leaders were either tight lipped or gave vague reasons for Gurung’s sudden turn. “It has been decided that our party president will attend the launch program of clean and green Darjeeling which is being organized jointly by the state government and the GTA. He (Gurung) will now instead head to Varanasi on August 26,” said GJM general secretary, Roshan Giri without answering if Gurung or other party leaders would sit for a separate meeting with the chief minister.

Banerjee was accorded a warm welcome by members of the All India Bhutia Association (AIBA) near the Gorkha Ranga Manch Bhawan on her arrival. On August 26 the CM will sit for a meeting with the Tribal Advisory Council and then head back to Kolkata the next day.

Source: EOI

 
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