Darjeeling: GJM to quit Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, shutdown will continue
Members of the all-party meeting decided to boycott the talks that will be held by the Mamata Banerjee government on June 22 in Siliguri.
An all-party meeting held in Darjeeling on Tuesday passed a resolution to quit the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and decided to continue their indefinite shutdown in the hills, reported The Hindu. The meeting, held at Darjeeling Gymkhana Club, was attended by 14 representatives of various political parties, including the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the Gorkha National Liberation Front, Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists and Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha.
The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration is an elected body that was formed after the 2011 tripartite talks to support the movement. The members of the meeting decided to form an All India Committee for Gorkhaland that will have the representation of all political parties supporting the movement, India Today reported. Besides, none of the outfits that attended the meeting will participate in the talks scheduled on June 22 in Siliguri. On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had urged all stakeholders to attend the all-party meeting to discuss the current situation in the region.
The Centre on Tuesday sent 125 security personnel to Darjeeling after the West Bengal government submitted a detailed report on the ongoing violence in the town. Internet services remained suspended for the third day in the hills on Tuesday, reported ANI.
Several students in boarding schools across Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong remained stranded because of the indefinite strike. All the schools have remained shut since the GJM called for an indefinite strike from June 15. These schools are also concerned that their food stock may run out.
Violence broke out in Darjeeling after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced her decision to make Bengali compulsory in state-run schools. Though she had said that hill districts will be exempted from the rule, the GJM began an agitation that soon turned into a revival of the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.