Gorkhaland agitation scaled down in hills
18 Aug 2013 9:09 PM GMT
Hill parties scaled down the Gorkhaland agitation, announcing another ‘people’s’ shutdown between 19 to 23 August, but only a programme of torchlight marches and human chains for the next three days.
The GJM (Gorkha Janmukti Morcha) leadership has also probably taken into account that the tourist season is approaching and that tourism is a source of livelihood for the majority of the hill people.
‘Realisation has dawned that achieving a Gorkhaland state would be a long-drawn affair and it’s not feasible to carry on with a shutdown of the hills indefinitely,’ a GJM leader said.
An all-party meeting in Darjeeling recently also formed a Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee, made up of representatives from nine hill parties, which would decide the future course of the agitation.
The committee called the 19-23 August shutdown ‘in deference to the wishes of the people’ and named it ‘Ghar Bhitra Janta’ (people inside homes). The Calcutta High Court though has earlier ruled the 13-14 August curfew illegal.
The pro-statehood hill parties also expressed readiness for a dialogue with the Bengal governor M K Narayanan but adopted the GJM’s stand of not talking to the state government.
The GJM (Gorkha Janmukti Morcha) leadership has also probably taken into account that the tourist season is approaching and that tourism is a source of livelihood for the majority of the hill people.
‘Realisation has dawned that achieving a Gorkhaland state would be a long-drawn affair and it’s not feasible to carry on with a shutdown of the hills indefinitely,’ a GJM leader said.
An all-party meeting in Darjeeling recently also formed a Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee, made up of representatives from nine hill parties, which would decide the future course of the agitation.
The committee called the 19-23 August shutdown ‘in deference to the wishes of the people’ and named it ‘Ghar Bhitra Janta’ (people inside homes). The Calcutta High Court though has earlier ruled the 13-14 August curfew illegal.
The pro-statehood hill parties also expressed readiness for a dialogue with the Bengal governor M K Narayanan but adopted the GJM’s stand of not talking to the state government.
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