BJP,GJMM united over Gorkhaland stand; Not yet decided on holding a strike in the hills: Morcha

Rudy (left) and Gurung at a media conference in Darjeeling on Wednesday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, June 24: The BJP and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha have chalked out a roadmap to highlight the demand for a separate state at the national level.

The strategy was evolved at a meeting between Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the spokesperson of the BJP, and the Morcha leadership at the Darjeeling Gymkhana Club today.

“A short-term, mid-term and long-term strategy has been worked out to highlight the demand at the national level. We have also put in place an internal mechanism for better co-ordination between the BJP and the Morcha,” said Rudy, who is also a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Holding seminars, workshop and awareness programmes with writers, MPs of other parties and constitutional experts on the demand of Gorkhaland in New Delhi forms the short-term strategy.

“The aim is to gain support for Gorkhaland in Delhi. We are committed to the cause of Gorkhaland. While Jaswant Singh will raise the issue in the Lok Sabha,

I will do the same in the Rajya Sabha when Parliament session starts in the first week of July,” said Rudy, who has come to Darjeeling as Singh’s representative.

The Morcha has also decided to form a study group that will act as a back-up mechanism for the BJP leadership in Delhi. The BJP also made it clear that it was working for the development of the hills. “Jaswant Singh had a detailed discussion with Kamal Nath, the Union surface transport minister, regarding roads in the hills,” said Rudy.

Bimal Gurung, the president of the Morcha, expressed confidence in the BJP’s sincerity towards Gorkhaland.

“When we backed Jaswant Singh in the general election, we had not kept any pre-conditions for the BJP except for their support for the Gorkhaland. I am happy that the demand will be raised in both the Houses and this is a feat that could not be achieved despite the bloodshed during the 1986 agitation,” said Gurung.

 

He said the Morcha had not yet decided on holding a strike in the hills.

However, the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha has decided to start an agitation from June 29 by holding torch rallies across the hills.

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BJP,GJMM united over Gorkhaland stand
Statesman News Service

KURSEONG, 24 JUNE: In a bid to work out political mechanism to intensify the Gorkhaland movement in tune with the changed situation, the BJP leadership held a meeting with the GJMM central committee members at the Darjeeling Gymkhana today.

The BJP MP from Rajya Sabha and the party spokesperson, Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy and the GJMM president, Mr Bimal Gurung were present at the meeting.

Mr Rudy said that the primary objective of his visit was to deliberate on the Gorkhaland cause.

“I have come here on behalf of Mr Jaswant Singh and we are discussing plans to rejuvenate the movement in the Darjeeling hills,” he said.

Assuring full support from the BJP to the cause of the statehood movement, Mr Rudy said that Mr Jaswant Singh would raise the issue on the Parliament floor during the upcoming sessions.

“We are weighing several short term and long term proposals to bring the movement again in national focus. Stress should be given on making the people aware of the imperatives of carving out a separate state in the Darjeeling hills to respect the mounting ethno-cultural and economic aspirations of the Nepali speaking Indians,” he said.

“At the same time, our party would focus on development with emphasis on infrastructure like building roads. Drinking water scarcity is another problem which needs to be addressed as early as possible,” Mr Rudy said.

Mr Gurung stressed on marching hand-in-hand with BJP for the cause of Gorkhaland.

‘Our alliance would prove enduring and mutually beneficial,” said the GJMM leader.

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BJP for review of GJMM’s approach to Gorkhaland
Statesman News Service

SILIGURI, 25 JUNE: The BJP today called upon the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) to review its fast track approach towards the Gorkhaland demand, clearly hinting that the statehood aspiration emanating from Darjeeling Hills may not be achievable by the March 2010 deadline fixed by the GJMM chief, Mr Bimal Gurung.

“With the UPA coming to power in Delhi, there is a need to review the fast track approach towards Gorkhaland and to reformulate the statehood agitation as a whole,” the BJP national spokesperson, Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, said at a news conference in Siliguri this afternoon.

The comment has come a day after Mr Rudy held a three-hour long meeting with GJMM chief, Mr Gurung and other party leaders in Darjeeling yesterday, over the BJP’s probable role in realising the demanded statehood.

“There is no denial that as far as the BJP is concerned, the NDA not coming to power is a set back for the Gorkhaland demand. But the BJP would continue its stride to raise the issue both within the Parliament and outside. Our Darjeeling MP, Mr Jaswant Singh, will facilitate workshops, seminars with influential groups in Delhi in favour of the Gorkhaland issue,” Mr Rudy said.

Adding further, he said that both the GJMM and the BJP were waiting for the third round of tripartite talks to be convened by the Centre on the Darjeeling impasse.

“A joint delegate from our parties recently met the Union home minister, Mr P Chidambaram, in Delhi urging him to hold the third round of talks. We are waiting for a positive response,” Mr Rudy said.

GJMM central committee leader, Mr Amar Lama, who was also present at the meeting, said that the party would soon announce a fresh agitation on the Gorkhaland issue and that might include an indefinite Hills strike as well.

“We agree with the BJP’s suggestion to reformulate the agitation, but I must make it clear that the GJMM would decide its own course of action. We had supported the BJP in Lok Sabha polls because it was the only national party that took a sympathetic approach towards Gorkhaland. For us, it hardly matters if the NDA has come to power or not. We know the statehood will have to be achieved through struggle,” Mr Lama said.