‘Time to review strategy as stir is heading nowhere’

SILIGURI: Neither the bandh that has paralysed life in Darjeeling hills for two months nor the violence that claimed eight lives and destroyed property worth crores have helped the Gorkhaland movement, feel a sizeable section of leaders heading the agitation.

Stumped by the Centre’s lukewarm response and Bengal government’s tough stand, leaders of the 15 parties and organisations are looking for a new strategy.

“If the Bengal government sends a formal invitation for talks we will positively think about sitting for discussio,” Kalyan Dewan, chief coordinator of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) said .

The state government came up with a rather cold response. “They were once asked to sit for talks but they didn’t,” said state tourism ministe Goutam Deb.

Hill party leaders said the t meeting between Union home minister Rajnath Singh and a GMCC team failed to break the deadlock, forcing leaders to go into introspection mode.

A vocal critic of GJM and president of Jan Andolan Party, Harka Bahadur Chettri said, “Time has come to review our strategy because the movement is heading nowhere.”

“The BJP and the Centre have virtually ridiculed the Gorkhaland movement and the Gorkhas. Time has come to review the trust we have put in the BJP,” said Chettri.

Mahindra Chettri, general secretary of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) said: “The political approach of the ongoing (Gorkhaland) movement has to be corrected. I request the GMCC to work on a new strategy.”