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The Telegraph
VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, June 25: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha might have been able to contain the backlash following the murder of ABGL president Madan Tamang, but the rivals seem determined to create some political space in the hills and have started their groundwork.

To start with, the ABGL has once again decided to organise a peace rally in Darjeeling.

“The rally will be held soon,” said ABGL leader Mohan Sharma. “We shall decide on the date tomorrow.”

The ABGL had earlier demonstrated in front of Darjeeling Sadar police station followed by a peace rally on June 21 — a month after the murder — when the hills had been shut because of the strike called by the Morcha.

Today, Asok Bhattacharya, the CPM heavyweight of north Bengal, paid a visit to Mungpoo, about 40km from Darjeeling, to pay his respects to Rabindranath Tagore at the bungalow where the bard had often stayed between 1938 and 1940.

Observers believe the urban development minister’s visit underlines the CPM’s efforts to be visible in the hills given the fact that he has hardly visited Darjeeling since the Morcha was formed in 2007. (more…)

The Telegraph

The court of the chief judicial magistrate in Darjeeling today remanded Subash Tamang and Prashant Chhetri, who were allegedly involved in the murder of Madan Tamang, in judicial custody for 14 days.

The two, who had suffered bullet injuries at the spot where Tamang was murdered on May 21, were produced in the court but their bail application could not be moved because of a strike by lawyers.

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The Telegraph

Siliguri, June 25: The president of the Dooars and Terai Regional Committee of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, John Barla, has been summoned by the state leadership to Calcutta to discuss his decision to hold talks with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on a joint movement for the creation of Gorkha Adivasi Pradesh.

Before leaving for Calcutta, Barla said the date for the talks with the Morcha would be decided on his return to the Dooars.

“I have received an urgent call from our leadership in Calcutta to attend the state committee meeting tomorrow,” said Barla. “I will return to the Dooars by Sunday and after that on June 28, we will hold our regional committee’s meeting at Banarhat where we will decide on the date for holding talks with the Morcha.” (more…)

The Telegraph

Kalimpong, June 25: A 17-year-old girl from a village in the Kalimpong subdivision was rescued from a brothel in Pune and handed over to her family yesterday.

Prerna Gurung (name changed), who had allegedly been sold for Rs 1 lakh to the brothel by a woman in March last year, was rescued by the anti-human trafficking cell of the Hill Social Welfare Society with the help of the Rescue Foundation, a Maharashtra-based NGO.

“I had known the woman, who took me to Pune, for only about three months. She lured me on the promise of a job. However, once there, she forced me into a life of hell,” said Prerna, who is illiterate. (more…)

The Telegraph

Calcutta, June 25: The police brass today rejected new inspector-general (planning) K.L. Tamta’s request to the home secretary to let him continue as IG (north Bengal) or put him in the CID or Calcutta police. Tamta is said to have mentioned his “good performance” in dealing with the hill unrest as a reason for his continued posting in north Bengal.

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The Telegraph

Darjeeling, June 25: The CID team probing Madan Tamang’s murder detained three people at Kakarvitta, on the Nepal border, this evening. One of them is suspected to be Nicol Tamang, a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader.

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www.sikkimexpresss.com

DARJEELING, June 23: Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) administrator BL Meena will not be removed. Neither will be the CRPF personnel stationed in the hills will be removed. KL Tamata, IG (North Bengal) will not also be transferred.

But all the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) camps will be made empty within in a month, promised Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya to a delegation of All India Gorkha League (AIGL) today at Kolkata.
The AIGL team had a fruitful meeting with the Chief Minister, informed party secretary Lakusman Pradhan to media here in Darjeeling. The AIGL delegation had called upon the Chief Minister to demand for CBI probe in the murder of party president Madan Tamang, restoration of democracy in Darjeeling hills and other demands.

Pradhan said that AIGL delegation requested that no stones should be left unturned for delivering justice to the family members, AIGL and Gorkha community following the brutal murder of Tamang.
The AIGL delegation was led by Bharati Tamang, wife of the slain party president.

The Chief Minister assured us and asked for some time to arrest the murderers and to remove the GLP camps within a month, said the AIGL functionary. The Chief Minister also asserted that the transfer reports of IG Tamta were rumours and the State government has no plans to transfer him, he informed.
It was further informed that the Chief Minister has assured full support from the government side to the AIGL to conduct public meetings and other democratic activities.

AIGL polit-bureau member Mohan Sharma has termed the fresh indefinite bandh call of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the hills as ‘unjustified’. Nothing can be achieved except pressing more economic burdens on the people with such bandhs, he said.

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The Telegraph
VIVEK CHHETRIang)

Darjeeling, June 24: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today announced its decision to “defer” the indefinite strike in the hills, a day after the party threatened to “strictly” enforce the shutdown when it resumed on Friday after a 48-hour relaxation.

Instead, the party will from June 28 put up two-hour blockades on uphill roads everyday from 11am. The road to Sikkim or NH31A has been spared.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said today’s decision ensured the party “channelised” all its energies to jointly launching the movement with the Adivasi Vikas Parishad for a separate state called Gorkha Adivasi Pradesh.

On Tuesday, the Parishad had said it was willing to discuss this issue with the hill party but needed some time.

However, Morcha sources said several party leaders had prevailed upon party chief Bimal Gurung to at least “postpone” the strike in the greater interest of the people of the hills who were “severely inconvenienced”.

The sources also said the party had called the indefinite bandh in the hills to deflect attention from ABGL leader Madan Tamang’s murder. Gurung’s party has been accused of masterminding the murder and had to face severe backlash in the hills.

“But now we feel that the strike has served its purpose so there is no longer any need to continue with it,” a Morcha leader said.

In the end, sources said, the “saner voices” in the party prevailed upon Gurung and he took a “tactical” decision to “defer” the strike. They said Gurung did not announce that the Morcha was calling off the strike since he wanted the shutdown threat to hang before the district administration.

“The central committee has decided to postpone the indefinite general strike scheduled to resume from tomorrow because of the positive response that we have received towards our proposal for the creation of Gorkha Adivasi Pradesh from the Adivasi leadership,” Giri said at a news conference today. “Instead we shall start a road blockade from June 28, but NH31A will be spared.”

P. Arjun, a member of the Study Forum — a Morcha think tank — said the party should not be distracted by any other movement and instead give its “full attention” to the Parishad response.

“The Parishad’s response is a very positive development and we are hopeful that the meeting will take place by July 10,” Arjun said.

Giri said the future course of the agitation would depend on the outcome of the meeting with the Parishad. However, the party has decided to keep up the spirit of its cadres by carrying out its daily demonstrations in front of police stations, weekly torch rallies, the two-hour blockade of roads and public meetings.

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The Telegraph

Darjeeling, June 24: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today welcomed the return of Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh to the BJP, hoping the move will provide fresh impetus to its statehood demand at the national level.

“We are happy with the BJP’s decision and we welcome it. We would like to thank the senior leaders of the BJP, including president Nitin Gadkari, for the decision,” Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said.

Although the BJP had backed the Morcha even after Singh’s expulsion, the hill outfit believes that the Darjeeling MP’s return would help its cause. “It will definitely help our movement,” said Giri.

After Singh’s expulsion, BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj and Rajiv Pratap Rudy had publicly supported the statehood demand of the Morcha. But Bimal Gurung’s party thinks that the leaders were not as actively involved, as it would have liked them to be.

“With Jaswant Singh back in the main Opposition party, his influence will be stronger. Even when he was expelled from the party, Singh’s stature in Delhi had helped us a lot,” said a Morcha leader.

Locally, too, the Morcha is expected to gain from Singh’s inclusion in the BJP. This is largely because Dawa Sherpa, the state secretary of the BJP, is in the forefront of an anti-Morcha forum of seven parties in the hills — the Democratic Front — and has been appointed its convener.

Earlier this month, the CPRM, one of the front members, had demanded that the BJP explain its stand on the Morcha especially since Singh’s return was imminent. Sherpa had at that time said it was too early to say anything as Singh had not yet returned to the BJP. “The entire issue is speculative … Other parties can interpret our stand based on the BJP’s role in the Democratic Front and the statements made by us in public,” Sherpa had then said.

Today, after Singh’s return to the BJP, Sherpa refused comment.

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sify.com
2010-06-24 17:50:00

The pro-Gorkhaland Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) Thursday withdrew its indefinite shutdown call in the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling district in northern West Bengal.

The GJM had called the shutdown from June 19 in protest against alleged police harassment of its frontal organisation, Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP), and a slew of other demands.

It later relaxed the shutdown for 48-hours starting June 23.

GJM press and publicity secretary Harka Bahadur Chhetri said: ‘The decision was taken in today’s (Thursday) central committee meeting of the party.’

Chhetri said the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) had written to GJM president Bimal Gurung extending its support to the GJM for the cause of a separate state ‘Gorkha Adivasi Pradesh’.

‘Earlier we approached the ABAVP for joining us to strengthen the movement for separate statehood. Now they have agreed to discuss this issue. So we have decided to ensure that normalcy returns in the hills before we sit for the talks,’ said the media and publicity officer.

Chhetri said they were planning to sit with the ABAVP leaders June 28.

Though the GJM has suspended its indefinite shutdown call, it has declared a new programme of protest against alleged police harassment of its supporters and GLP personnel.

Chhetri said: ‘GJM has suspended the indefinite shutdown call but will launch a two-hour chakka jam (road block) between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day starting Friday.’

The GJM is spearheading the demand for separate statehood for the Gorkhas, comprising Darjeeling and parts of Jalpaiguri district.

The central government in 2005 offered Sixth Schedule status to the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF)-led Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), ensuring greater autonomy to the governing body.

The GJM organised indefinite shutdowns on several occasions in the hills severely hitting tea, timber and tourism – the bread and butter of the region.

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The Telegraph

Darjeeling, June 23: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today announced that helplines for tourists would be withdrawn once the bandh resumes on Friday, striking a firm note after relaxing the indefinite shutdown for 48 hours.

Not only that, the party has also iterated its resolve to enforce the strike more vigorously with party volunteers setting up pickets in different parts of the hills.

Not wanting to be seen as buckling under pressure after striking a conciliatory note yesterday by withdrawing its lathi-wielding squad of volunteers from five government properties and announcing the relaxation, Morcha assistant secretary Binay Tamang said today: “We have decided to strictly enforce the strike once it resumes on Friday. We expect all tourists to leave the hills by tomorrow evening and we will no longer keep the helplines open.”

Till yesterday, the Morcha had deputed the All Hill Transport Joint Action Committee, a party affiliate, to issue “permits” and arrange for vehicles for tourists and local people wanting to leave Darjeeling. But today Tamang said: “We will only allow those people with emergency work to move during the strike period and nobody else.”

Unlike in the past when Morcha pickets were visible all across the town, this time when the indefinite strike started on Saturday the party had desisted from deploying its cadres in the busy areas. But today Tamang said the cadres would be back once the bandh resumes.

The Morcha also said it would not withdraw its squad of volunteers, the Gorkhaland Personnel, from any of the other government properties that it is still occupying.

But sources close to the party said despite the game of “one-upmanship” that has been going on between the Morcha and the government, it would not risk a confrontation with the authorities.

The Morcha had been pushed on the backfoot after the backlash that followed ABGL leader Madan Tamang murder for which it has been blamed. Bimal Gurung’s party had been pushing to drive home the point that it was against violence. It had even been more accommodating than in the past, not obstructing rallies by rival outfits.

“There is little chance of the Morcha picketing in the main town square where there is heavy deployment of paramilitary forces. Even though the party wants an image changeover, it can hardly risk indulging in any form of violence at the moment,” said an observer. Picketers are likely to be increased in the fringe areas of the town.

While trying to send a tough message to the state, the Morcha has also tried to convey that “the interest of the common people” was still on its mind.

“In the interest of the common people we have, however, decided to keep the food and supply department open on Mondays and Tuesdays. Ration dealers can lift their foodgrain from their godowns on Wednesdays. The vehicles ferrying foodgrain must paste ‘on PDS duty’ along with the name of the village on the windscreens,” said Tamang. Banks, too, will be allowed to remain open on Mondays.

Other programmes like demonstrations in front of police station will start from Friday. “The once-a-week torch rally will also be taken out across the hills, Terai and Dooars on Thursdays,” added Tamang. The central committee of the Morcha will hold a meeting at 11am in Darjeeling tomorrow to discuss the current situation in the hills.

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The Telegraph

Darjeeling/Siliguri, June 23: People in the hills today scrambled to stock up on food before the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha resumes its strike on Friday morning with truckloads of vegetables, fruits and fish leaving the markets in Siliguri for destinations uphill.

However, as the 48-hour relaxation in the strike was announced by the Morcha late last evening, the people had to buy vegetables which were not fresh at higher prices.

While ladies’ fingers flew off the shelves, despite being priced at Rs 32 a kilo, tomatoes were sold at Rs 28, gourds at Rs 32 and potatoes and onions at Rs 12.

“We were forced to buy stale vegetables at more than double the price. Ladies’ fingers usually cost Rs 5 to Rs 6 a kilo. We have to wait till tomorrow morning when fresh stocks arrive from Siliguri,” said a woman shopping at Chowk Bazar in Darjeeling.

Mohan Sharma, an ABGL leader, said political parties should call strikes as a last resort. “We think the Morcha strike has served no purpose. Strikes should be called as last resort; a lot of thought should be put in before one calls a strike,” said Sharma.

More than 40 vehicles loaded with food items had left the Siliguri Regulated Market at Champasari for the hills by noon today. “Had the relaxation in the strike been announced much earlier yesterday, we would have got more buyers from the hills,” said Tapan Saha, the secretary of the Siliguri Regulated Market Wholesalers’ Association. He added that the market lost business worth at least Rs 30 lakh daily during strikes in the hills.

“We sell food items worth Rs 70-80 lakh daily and 40 per cent of the purchase is done by shopowners from the hills,” said Saha.

The flow of the food items was not wholly uphill.

Khubal Prasad, a ginger trader at the regulated market, received a truckload of the condiment after four days. “I get ginger from the Mirik area. The strike will resume on Friday and my anxiety will increase,” he said.

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