No Gorkhaland state, but talks to continue: home secretary (Second Lead)

DARJEELING - There was no consensus on the issue of a Gorkhaland state but discussions to find a solution to the problem would continue, union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said here Monday after a three-hour meeting with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) and the state government.

“We had detailed discussions with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha and state government representatives regarding the formation of a separate Gorkhaland state and various other issues. We’ll continue to hold discussions on this to find a solution to the Gorkhaland problem,” Pillai said at a press conference here after the tripartite meeting.

He said GJM representatives have indicated they wanted the discussion to be held at the political level.

“Both the centre and the state government representatives will place their requests to the respective governments and will come back to the GJM within 45 days. There is no such agreement at all for a separate Gorkhaland state.”

The meeting, which began at 11 a.m., was attended by a central government team led by Pillai and a six-member state government team headed by Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty.

The GJM fielded a 16-member delegation, led by the party’s general secretary Roshan Giri, for the talks held at the private Mayfair resort in the heart of this hill town.

Lt. General Vijay Madan, the central government-appointed interlocutor, was also present during the meeting.

The GJM general secretary termed the meeting as “positive” and said it would relax the indefinite hunger strike in the hills till Christmas.

He said the strike would again resume from Dec 26 and continue till Dec 31 on the National Highway (NH)-31.

“We will continue our movement democratically to achieve a separate Gorkhaland state curved out of the region. We’ll carry out peaceful agitation till our demand is met,” Giri said.

“Gorkhaland is a century-old demand and the problem will not be resolved till it is addressed,” Giri said, reiterating the demand for a separate state.

The central government had in 2005 conferred the Sixth Schedule status on the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF)-led Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), ensuring greater autonomy to the governing body.

The GJM has been spearheading a movement for a Gorkhaland state carved out of northern West Bengal, besides opposing special status for the hill’s governing body DGHC.

The Amra Bangali, Bangla Bhasha O Bhasha Banchao Committee, a local outfit protesting the GJM’s demand for a separate state, also started a relay hunger strike in Siliguri plains from Sunday, saying that they oppose the “unconstitutional” dialogue with some “aliens” from Nepal.