Shielding Bimal Gurung will hit Sikkim too, says Bengal bureaucrat
West Bengal government is trying to initiate a dialogue with its Sikkim counterpart so that it doesn’t shield Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung anymore.
“We will try to initiate a dialogue with our counterparts in Sikkim to convince them that unrest in Darjeeling will also hamper Sikkim in terms of both supply of essential commodities as well as tourism,” said a senior Bengal government official, on condition of anonymity, as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
The officials want to explain to the Sikkim government why peace restoration in Darjeeling will not be successful if Gurung continues to move around freely.
“A formal proposal will be sent to the Sikkim government to initiate dialogues latest by October 24. If they agree, we will raise these points of mutual interest,” said the Bengal official.
It is high time the Sikkim government understands that Darjeeling is the main thoroughfare to Sikkim, both for movement of essential commodities as well as for tourist transit, he said.
“So, the prosperity of Sikkim also depends on restoring peace in Darjeeling, which we are sure the Sikkim government will also acknowledge,” he added.
Sikkim has started to feel the pinch with a drop in tourist inflow since June this year.
The relationship between the two states got strained after Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, in June this year, wrote a letter to Union home minister Rajnath Singh backing GJM’s demand for Gorkhaland.
Later, Chamling posted the same letter on his Facebook wall, which triggered sharp reaction from West Bengal government.
The relationship worsened further after two failed attempts by CID, West Bengal, to nab Gurung, booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, from Sikkim. The first raid was conducted on August 31 and the second on October 7 night.
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