Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Cheif Bimal Gurung on Monday indicated a plot being played against him and his party members ahead of the meeting with the state government.
A meeting is being held on Tuesday, 29 Aug by the Mamata Banerjee led-government to finally come to some conclusion regarding the unrest going in the hills for past 75 days now. Darjeeling in West Bengal is suffering unrest and an indefinite shutdown in the hills for more than 2 months now demanding a separate Gorkhaland. In the past few days, the protest had taken a violent turn affecting the lives of everyone in the region. Apart from the medical outlets all the other shops, government offices schools and markets are shut down. The supply of all the necessary products are banned in the region and even the internet and telephone lines are cut.
The situation of the hills is getting critical day by day. Earlier also the State, as well as the Central government, was asked to intervene and find a solution to the problem and restore peace in the region. But nothing of much significance was done.
A few days back GNLF had written a letter to the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking her immediate attention to the problem. Following the request from the regional party, Mamata had agreed to organize the meeting on 29 Aug. Amid all the peace talks and efforts to restore normalcy in the hills, Sunday evening GJM Chief Bimal Gurung indicated that a few leaders were planning a conspiracy against him. In an audio message issued on Sunday night, Bimal warned that if any matter other than the issued of Gorkhland was discussed during the meeting with Mamata Banerjee than those leaders will not be allowed to return to the hills.
In his message, Gurung said, “There is a conspiracy by some hill leaders who are hand in glove with the state government. They are trying to frame me and are passing information to the police. Some leaders have written letters to the state government without my permission. In the next 10-12 days, I will make their names public. The people of the hills will never forgive these traitors.”
GJM Chief gave his consent to attend the meeting on Thursday, which he was refusing to go for earlier. He wrote a letter to Mamta Banerjee on Thursday saying that he will attend the meeting but he is adamant on his demand for Gorkhaland and will not settle down for anything less than this. The letter read that “No other alternative or modified step will do justice to our plight…other than the creation of a separate Gorkhaland.”
This is the first attempt in almost two months taken to restore peace in the hills of West Bengal. Following the riots that broke out in Darjeeling not only damaged lots of lives and properties but is also affecting the normal lives of the people residing in the region especially the children, whose future seems to be at stake as it is now the 75th day that the schools and colleges are closed. The students appearing for board exams are shifted to the grounds and are being kept as refugees staying and studying in rented places and marriage halls.
The GJM along with other regional parties are demonstrating protest demanding for a separate statehood of Gorkhaland. Mamata Banerjee led government has deployed army regimes and banned the supply of necessary items in the region hoping to suppress the agitating protesters. But this pressure imposed by Banerjee government all the more angered and fueled the protest taking it to higher levels.
Tomorrow’s meeting convened by Mamta Banerjee government will be attended by all the major hill parties, including the GJM, and the state government at the state secretariat in Kolkata is being regarded as a ray of hope to restore peace in the hills of West Bengal.