Prove sincerity towards Gorkhas: Ajoy Edwards urges Centre

Darjeeling: A day after Union Home minister Amit Shah's public address at New Jalpaiguri Railways Institute ground, president of Hamro Party (HP) has urged the Union government to prove its sincerity towards the Gorkhas by implementing the Permanent Political Solution (PPS) and holding elections.

Shah, on a two day tour of West Bengal, arrived in Siliguri on Thursday. Addressing a rally at NJP, he stated: "The only party sincere towards the Gorkhas is the BJP. We have stated that a solution will be worked out under the Indian Constitution for the Gorkhas. Didi, GTA elections will not resolve any problems of the Gorkhas."

Ajoy Edwards, president of the Hamro Party, reacting to this stated that people of the Hills have been voting for the BJP for years in the hope that the party would resolve the Gorkha impasse. "In 2019, they promised us a PPS which found mention in the election manifesto of the party along with inclusion of 11 Gorkha sub-communities in the Scheduled Tribe list. However, till date, nothing has translated into action. In 2021, they had called for the first round of tripartite talks to discuss PPS, adding that a second round of talks would be held after Diwali. That too has not seen the light of day," stated Edwards.

Raising the issue of a separate state of North Bengal, Edwards stated: "There are talks doing the rounds that the Union government is all set to carve out a separate state of North Bengal from West Bengal. This will in no way benefit the Gorkhas and the people residing in the Hills."

He insisted on holding the Panchayat elections in the Hills. "If there are legal hurdles in holding a three-tier Panchayat election, the government should at least hold elections to two tiers," added Edwards.