Darjeeling, June 22 (PTI): In a bid to step up their stir for a separate state in the Darjeeling Hills, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha leaders have to quit the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) tomorrow.
The GJM supremo Bimal Gurung, who is in hiding, will also put in his papers.
He said the GTA has been turned into a “farce” by the West Bengal government and the GJM and the people of the hills will fight for the single agenda of a separate Gorkhaland.
The GJM’s decision to resign from GTA comes two days after the all party meeting in the hills where it was decided that the party will withdraw from the tripartite GTA Accord.
The GJM is spearheading the agitation for a separate state and its indefinite shutdown, which has paralysed hit the normal life in the hills, entered its eighth day today.
The GJM has been ruling GTA since 2012 and its five-year term is set to expire this year.
State to decide forces’ pull-out from Darjeeling hills: official
Siliguri, June 22 (IANS): Stating that the West Bengal government is doing everything to maintain peace and order in the north Bengal hills, a senior officer on Thursday said the withdrawal of security forces from the region will depend on the state’s assessment of the situation.
“The state government cannot abdicate its constitutional obligation to maintain peace and order. State’s decision to remove the security forces will depend on its own assessment of the situation,” Home Secretary Malay Kumar Dey said at the end of state government-convened all-party meeting in Siliguri.
Fourteen political parties in the hills, including Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which sat for a meeting on Tuesday, claimed that the indefinite shutdown could be lifted if the security forces were withdrawn from region.
They also unanimously decided to boycott the state government-convened all-party meeting on Thursday.
Home Secretary Dey, however, described the discussions in the meeting as “positive” and assured the people that the state government was in favour of bringing back peace and normalcy in the hills.
Stating that two hill development boards and three political parties attended the state government meeting, Dey also appealed to all the other stakeholders to come to the discussion table.
Criticising complete shutdown in the hills, the Home Secretary on behalf of the Bengal government assured of providing security to the people “who are willing to work”.
