GJM Chief Bimal Gurung Writes Letter to Mamata for Dialogue to End Darjeeling Crisis

Kolkata: The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) Chief Bimal Gurung on Thursday sent a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requesting her to initiate a political dialogue to end the Darjeeling crisis.

Hinting at the failure of the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) and Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), Gurung’s letter says, “No other alternative or modified bodies will do justice to our plight and apathy of being lumped with any other arrangement other than creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland.”

“Under the current situation we request your honour to initiative a political dialogue on the long-pending demand of the Gorkhas wish is Gorkhaland to help to resolve the present crisis in Darjeeling,” the letter adds.

Calling the GTA only an interim arrangement, the letter says, “The two failed councils (GTA and DGHC) today should pave ways for us to learn from our previous mistakes that experimental models to temporarily curb people’s aspiration for separation from West Bengal has not worked in the past nor the present. In the tripartite MoU – GTA was only to be an interim arrangement and that we have not dropped our demand for Gorkhaland.”

The GJM - while claiming that deaths in Darjeeling during movement happened due to police action – has demanded CBI or Judicial inquiry into the matter.

“We also want compensation for the victim’s (injured and killed both) family members, restoration of food supplies and essential commodities, restoration of internet, cable TV and local TV channel. We also demand that all cases (old or new) filed against the agitators should be withdrawn and those who were arrested or detained should be released immediately,” he said.

He said, “I would like to appeal the state government to take appropriate measures to address all the issues raised by us to ensure normalcy in Darjeeling so that the people of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri Terai and Dooars can get their rightful due.”

The GJM is, however, yet to release an official statement whether they are going to participate in the all party on August 29 or not.

For the last two months, Darjeeling has been under indefinite strike as Morcha leaders are demanding for a separate state of Gorkhaland. Series of violent protests reported in these two months and several people were killed in a clash with the police.