No Gorkhaland: Buddhadeb
By IANSSunday, February 20, 2011
SILIGURI - West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Sunday asked the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) to stop its agitation for a separate state, saying the demand for Gorkhaland will never be accepted.
“The GJM leaders should understand that ‘We want Gorkhaland’ slogans will not bring any result. We can never accept the demand for Gorkhaland. We cannot and will never do this thing,” Bhattacharjee told a gathering here.
Darjeeling has been witnessing a series of protest and violence over the last few months as the GJM leadership put pressure on the central and the state governments to accept its demand of Gorkhaland.
“Stop the movement in the hills and please allow the process of development to take its course. If this movement continues the people of Darjeeling will starve, as most of the hotels have been closed and the tourism industry is also badly affected,” said Banerjee.
The GJM had called several indefinite shutdowns in the hills between 2008 and 2010, severely hitting timber and tourism - the mainstay of the hill region’s economy.
