The unrest and demonstration of protest by the Gorkhas in the hills of West Bengal still continues. Both the GJM and Banerjee government seem to be firm on their points. GJM are demanding for a separate state of Gorkhland and Banerjee government has made it very clear that the boundaries of the state will not be re drawn.
With the recent string of events taking place in the hills and raids conducted at the residence of GJM chief Bimal Gurung, GJM now is planning to recall all its members from the state legislature, civic bodies and the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA). The members are just waiting for a trigger from their chief Bimal Gurung, who is currently underground after the raids conducted at his house, to resign, with all the papers for the formality already ready.
Darjeeling MLA and GJM central committee member Amar Rai said that “As far as the GTA is concerned, there is no question of going back to the same-old structure that has failed.”
GJM legislator Rohit Sharma alleged the Banerjee government for not transferring the deserved departments to them. Sharma said that “out of the 54 subjects (read departments), only 18 were transferred to us. We raised the issues at least 20 times in the Assembly in last five years, but the government paid no heed.” He further added that important departments were not given to them, they got only the departments of education, information, sports and culture, that too partially. He also said that funds were also not released for the transferred departments.
GJM also alleged BJP for backing the Mamata Banerjee government by deploying central armed forces in Darjeeling. They also denied the allegation put by Banerjee government on GJM of being involved with the Northeastern terrorist groups and receiving funds from foreign to set the hills on fire and put up the demonstrations and protest. Responding to the allegation Rohit Sharma angrily questioned that “Are we not the same Gorkhas who laid down their life in the line of duty repeatedly? CM has also said that we are receiving foreign funds to set the hills on fire. The home ministry is aware of this and they have their intelligence reports too. Why should not they come up with a communique spelling out the truth? ”
Seniors leaders of GJM said they had expected more cooperation from the BJP. It has been a few days now that some senior leaders of GJM are demonstrating protest in Delhi, but the centre is not paying any attention to them. Another senior GJM leader said they are trying their best to hold discussions with the centre as soon as possible.
GJM leaders also reminded the promises made by BJP to the people of the region during its election campaign of general election in 2014. They said that the BJP had promised to “sympathetically examine and appropriately consider the long pending demands of Gorkhas” while the party’s PM candidate Narendra Modi had said at a rally in Siliguri while addressing Gorkhas, “Your dream is our dream.” “We feel very disheartened.The GJM leaders expressed their agony saying that non of the promises made during the election campaigns by BJP and Modi were fulfilled yet.
Amar Rai complained that the centre is not paying any heed to their demands, as the party had submitted a detailed project report requesting the Centre to set up a central university, along with a representation demanding tribal status for 11 communities, but the centre did not do anything about it.