The Telegraph

Darjeeling, Feb. 9: The ABGL’s 24-hour janta curfew failed to evoke any response in the hills, prompting the party to describe it as a “defeat of the hill people”.

The hills were normal since morning and the Janmukti Asthai Karmachari Sangatan (JAKS), a body of DGHC casual workers affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, brought out a rally that later ended in a public meeting at Chowk Bazar here.

Madan Tamang, president, ABGL, said: “We were trying to test the people. If we had used force, posted some picketers and damaged a few vehicles, everything would have been shut. We wanted to go about in a decent manner and it has not worked.”

The ABGL leader said he was only trying to tell the people that it was useless to accept the same council. “My only point is that you (Morcha) are fooling the people. If you want a council, why are you crying hoarse over Gorkhaland. Anyway, today’s event is definitely not our party’s defeat but it is the defeat of the hill people.”

The Morcha, which has talked about an “interim” council, said the set-up can be valid only till the Assembly election in 2011. “There will be no compromise on Gorkhaland.”

Addressing the meeting at Chowk Bazar, Machendra Subba, president, JAKS, said his outfit was not “bothered about” other party’s political programmes. “Our stomachs are half empty and we are fighting for our rights. We are not bothered about other party’s political programme. The state government has repeatedly backtracked from its written assurance to regularise our jobs.”

The JAKS president urged B.L. Meena, the DGHC administrator, to function from the hills. “If he does not want to operate from the hills, it is better that he goes on a vacation,” said Subba.

Meena has been functioning from Pintail Village near Siliguri for the past three-four months. Most officers are unable to attend office in the hills because of a “ban” imposed on the movement of government vehicles by the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha.

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