GJM ends fast after talks with Rajnath

The youth wing of Gorka Janmukti Morcha (GJM) withdrew its 23-day-old hunger strike on Monday, a day after a party delegation held talks with Union home minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh.

“The fast-unto-death was lifted from 4.30 pm (on Monday) to honour the request the Union home minister had made,” GJM president Bimal Gurung said.

A dozen members of GJM’s youth wing had been on a hunger strike for more than three weeks to press the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

The party, however, stated that the indefinite bandh — which entered its 61st day on Monday— would continue till Gorkhaland was formed.

“The bandh will continue. But there will be no picketing on Independence Day,” GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang said.

On Sunday, Singh had asked members of the Gorkhaland Movement Codrdination Committee (GMCC) to end their hunger strike and bandh, which has crippled everyday life in Darjeeling for more than two months.

The minister urged the delegation to hold talks in order to meet their demands. Singh also requested West Bengal CM Mamata Bannerjee to initiate talks with GJM and other stakeholders to bring an end to the ongoing strife in the hills.

Although the GJM and the BJP have been alliance partners since the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, saffron party leaders had expressed unhappiness over the way the Gorkhaland agitation unfolded in the hill region. The Centre for its part, has taken note of the widespread damage to public property during the stir.

“Violence can never be a solution to any problem. In a democracy, solutions are always found through restraint, mutual dialogue and legal means,” the Union home minister had told GMCC leaders.