Centre's 'no' to body on Gorkhaland a dampner for protestors?

The Union government's declaration in Parliament that there is no proposal to constitute a committee to look into the separate state demand of the Gorkhas and others agitating in Darjeeling, has emerged as a major dampner for the agitators. They feel that there should be a change in strategy now.

"There is no proposal to appoint a committee to look into the merits and demerits of the demands of the Gorkhas, Adivasis and others," Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said in a written reply to a question in the Lower House of Parliament.

"It is very unfortunate. The GJM has been constantly claiming that the BJP is pro-Gorkhaland. The BJP should change its stance and view the agitation from a different perspective. They should immediately initiate dialogues. They have sent a wrong signal by stating this in Parliament. The stand of the Bengal government has been clear — They have been stating that they are against Gorkhaland. However, the BJP earlier was sympathetic to the demand but now in indulging in vote bank politics," stated Neeraj Zimba a GMCC leader from the Gorkha National Liberation Front party.

Jan Andolan Party feels there is need for a change in strategy. "We need to chalk out a new strategy that will make the movement sustainable as well as make the government agree to the constitutional and legitimate demand of Gorkhaland," stated Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri, President, JAP.

He stated that BJP is clearly showing an indifference to the movement. "What has happened to their promise in the election manifestoes and the promise made by PM Modi? Earlier, they had even assured to form a committee to look into the Gorkhaland demand," stated Chettri.

During the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP candidates Jaswant Singh and S S Ahluwalia backed by the GJM had won from the Darjeeling Parliamentary constituency.

During both these elections, the BJP manifestoes had stated that the party would sympathetically examine the long-pending demand of the Gorkhas.

The Gorkha Janmukti

Morcha (GJM) spearheading the ongoing agitation,

however, feels that it is not a cause for worry."

Swaraj Thapa, a GJM leader stated: "The Union government says it does not have any proposal to set up a committee to look into the Gorkhaland demand as the government is yet to set up a committee. The day any committee is set up, only then will the government state in a Parliament question that a committee has been set up. Therefore, there is no cause for either getting disheartened or dejected."