GJM chief says he’s ready for joint leadership in Gorkhaland battle

I am ready to seriously consider GNLF and other parties’ suggestion of a joint leadership ... But leaders of other parties including GNLF should come out, hit the streets

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung has said he is ready to consider the issues of joint leadership for the struggle to realise Gorkhaland but advised parties such as Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) to hit the streets immediately.

“I am ready to seriously consider the GNLF and other parties’ suggestion of a joint leadership to the movement as well as other suggestions such as walking out of the GTA. But the leaders of other parties including the GNLF should immediately come out and hit the streets as I am doing now,” Gurung told Hindustan Times.

On Wednesday, Gurung claimed that 85 families have returned to the Morcha fold from Trinamool camp. “On Monday, 42 families came back to our fold, followed by 85 today. Soon we will have a largely Trinamool free Darjeeling,” remarked Gurung, who had to witness Mamata Banerjee’s party post their first electoral victory in the hills in May in Mirik municipality. Gurung claimed Takvar, his own constituency in GTA, has already become a ‘Trinamool free’ zone.

On Thursday, tension may rise in the hills as Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha (GJYM) has decided to organise a rally. If the police want to resist, GJYM threatened to call an indefinite total bandh. According to adviser of GJYM, Jiten Rai, the rally is to protest against ‘police atrocities’ and demand immediate release of those arrested since June 8, when violence broke out leading to the deployment of army.

Gurung also sounded a veiled alarm bell for the tourists. “How can tourists enjoy when the police are regularly resorting to unprovoked lathi charge on our supporters...” Gurung alleged. As the hill region plunged into another crisis, a Union minister has written to the home ministry asking for a committee to examine the ‘merits’ of the 110year-old demand for a separate Gorkhaland.

Sources told HT that SS Ahluwalia, the minister of state for agriculture and parliamentary affairs, has suggested through a letter that a committee be formed to examine the pending demands and consider merits of a separate state not only for Gorkhas, but also adivasis and other people of Darjeeling and Dooar region.