Bengal may go for tripartite meet to check hills unrest

The possibility of a tripartite meeting to end the impasse in north Bengal hills that crossed the three-month mark on Tuesday seemed to brighten with chief minister Mamata Banerjee saying that the government will explore options of such a meet.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung reiterated that the indefinite shutdown would end only after the date for a tripartite meeting is fixed.

“The bandh will be withdrawn only after the date for a tripartite meeting is fixed,” Gurung said in an audio clip circulated from an undisclosed location.

The chief minister indicated flexibility in exploring options of a tripartite meeting after representatives of all the parties who attended the bipartite meeting on Tuesday in Siliguri demanded a meeting with the Centre to resolve the impasse.

She said that the decision about demand for tripartite talk between the parties demanding separate state of Gorkhaland, state government and the Centre would be taken in the third bilateral meeting to be held at the state secretariat on October 16. The first meeting was held on August 29.

On September 8, a team of leaders of the hill parties met Union home minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi and urged him to call a tripartite meeting for the creation of Gorkhaland. In a press statement, GJM said after that meeting that meetings with the state government were pointless since the chief minister has already made ti clear that discussing a new state was beyond the jurisdiction of her government.