Govt set to crack down as all-party meet flops
Major opposition parties skip meet, internet ban to continue indefinitely
As the government-convened all-party meeting on the Darjeeling crisis turned into a flop show on Thursday in absence of all major opposition parties, the West Bengal government decided to intensify the clampdown on agitators.
The state's strategy includes an exhaustive audit of funds given to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) that was run by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) and the extension of suspension of internet and cable services for an indefinite period. The government also registered FIRs against GJM chief Bimal Gurung, his wife Asha, and some senior members of the party, charging them with the murder of three men who died during a clash with police at Singamari in Darjeeling on June 17.
The meeting, as expected, was fruitless. What was especially embarrassing for the government was that representatives of only two of the 15 hill-based development boards attended. Till now, it was believed these boards owed their allegiance to Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Despite being at the meeting, representatives of the Kami community and the minority community development boards refused to speak to the media. A member of another development board that did not attend the meeting told HT on condition of anonymity that being residents of the hills it was impossible for them to ignore public sentiment. A member of another development board said their absence was to a great extent prompted by fear of a backlash from agitators.
The two political parties present (other than Trinamool Congress) were Bahujan Samaj Party and Nationalist Congress Party. Neither have any noteworthy organisation in the state nor any MLA in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that Darjeeling district magistrate, Joyoshi Dasgupta, on Thursday sent a confidential report to the home department, saying the strike has resulted in a loss of around ₹150 crore.
Without naming GJM, home secretary Malay Kumar De said at the end of the all-party meet that the government was open to negotiations with agitators. “The onus of restoring peace lies with everyone. State government has the constitutional duty to maintain law and order. For that, the government is seeking cooperation from all,” he said.