Delhi team fishes for sympathisers-Morcha keeps eye on developments at the Centre, hunts for statehood allies

Darjeeling, June 26: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s delegation in Delhi is trying to find sympathisers for the Gorkhaland demand with an eye on the possibility of a change of power at the Centre.Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri, who had been heading the four-member delegation, said: “We met (BJP chief) Rajnath Singh, yesterday and (Opposition [...]

Workers’ unrest to hit hills

Darjeeling, June 26: The 8,000 ad-hoc workers of the DGHC will start a fast-unto-death in town from Saturday to demand immediate regularisation of their jobs.Permanent government employees in the hills, on the other hand, will go on a mass casual leave tomorrow.“We have heard that the government is mulling a move to shift government offices [...]

Teachers ask, kids volunteer for fast

Darjeeling, June 26: Seven Class IX boys started a relay hunger strike here today and hundreds of schoolchildren brought out rallies across the Darjeeling hills even as the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha tried to justify the role of students in the movement for a separate state.All seven are from Municipal Boys’ High School and will [...]

Safety first (Editorial on Gorkhaland Issue)

Mr Subhas Ghisingh was no angel. Apart from promoting corruption and maladministration, he kept the pot boiling by raising irrelevant and untenable issues dug out from obscure crevices of history, perhaps with a view to hogging the limelight and creating problems for the state and the Centre. Eventually, being frustrated in their attempt to regain [...]

‘A Black Day’ for protestors

Statesman News ServiceSILIGURI, June 26: Protesting against the proposed negotiation between the state government and the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha in Kolkata tomorrow, the Jana Chetana, an apolitical organisation known for its strident opposition to the Gorkhaland demand, announced its plans to observe tomorrow as ‘Black Flag Day.’ “We would oppose such talks until the [...]

Hill people back ‘non-violent’ movement for Gorkhaland

Darjeeling (PTI): The indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) has hit the people of the Darjeeling hills hard, but they nonetheless swear by GJM chief Bimal Gurung, who has expressed willingness to achieve Gorkhaland following the path of Mahatma Gandhi.Chandra Bahadur Rai, an octogenarian who lost his only son in the Gorkha [...]

No separate state for Gorkhas: Buddha

Kolkata: Though West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has said that there would be no precondition for talks with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, the state government, a day before a crucial meeting with the GJM, today ruled out discussion on its separate statehood demand.“There will be no discussion with the Morcha on the statehood demand, [...]