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West Bengal to hold talks with Gorkhaland supporters
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editor on 12 February, 2008 02:43:00
 
KOLKATA: The State administration will hold talks for the first time with the
leadership of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) that has called for the creation
of a separate Gorkhaland State to be carved out of the Darjeeling hills and
certain areas contiguous to it.
A GJM delegation is scheduled to hold discussions on its various demands with
West Bengal’s Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb here on Wednesday,
spokesperson of the GJM, Benoy Tamang, told The Hindu over telephone from
Darjeeling on Monday.
The meeting is being convened at a time when the GJM has intensified its
agitation in the hills for a separate Statehood, demanded scrapping of plans to
grant Sixth Schedule status to the region and called for the
“immediate” removal of Subash Ghisingh from the post of
administrator of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.
An indefinite hunger strike by GJM activists in support of these demands in
Darjeeling and the sub-divisional towns of Kurseong and Kalimpong entered its
fifth day. Eleven persons have fallen ill and three admitted to hospital.
The GJM, formed nearly four months ago, claims to have the support of several
anti- Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) regional parties and is opposed to
the move to grant Sixth Schedule status to the hills that is awaiting
ratification of Parliament.
Mr. Ghisingh, who is also the GNLF chief, has been mobilising support of
leaders in New Delhi over the past few days for the passing of the amendment
Bills pertaining to the granting of Sixth Schedule status to the Darjeeling
hills.
The legislation will pave the way for the formation of a hill council that will
be vested with more powers than the DGHC that had been set up in 1988.
The West Bengal government, too, is keen that the Bills are passed by
Parliament when it meets for the Budget Session. The Bills had been introduced
in the House during its winter session but were referred to a standing
parliamentary committee on the request of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mr. Ghisingh met the Leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani, on February 8 and
later said  the meeting was fruitful.
The GJM has been demanding that the members of the committee visit Darjeeling
to assess the sentiments of the people there a large majority of whom, it
claims, is behind the call for Gorkhaland.
It has also called for a two-day cease-work in all Central and State government
offices in the region from Tuesday in support of its Statehood demand.