Budhdha not to participate in talks with GJM

Ruling out speculation that chief minister Budhdhadeb Bhattacharjee would personally join the proposed tripartite meeting, his closest colleague Siliguri MLA and state urban development minister claimed that there is no such possibility. WEST BENGAL (WB) state urban development minister Ashok Bhattacharjee on Wednesday (July 6) ruled out speculation that chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee would himself [...]

Gorkhaland Rundown

It was brought to my attention that a few weeks ago this blog turned up on the second page of Google searches for Gorkhaland. (It has since fallen lower in the Google search results.) Given the visibility, I’ll add a little more background on the history and current happenings. Here goes: The district of Darjeeling [...]

Ball in hill leaders’ court

THE BALL, as they say is, squarely in the court of the agitating hill leaders in Darjeeling. The Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has kept his word and spoken to the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil for tripartite talks to end the impasse but the Centre has put its foot down. No talks will get [...]

Buddhadeb Holds Talks With GJM Representatives

“We have no problem with the convening of a tri-partite meeting over Darjeeling developments with the participation of the state Left Front government, the union UPA government, and the agitating groups: however, there must be a bipartite consensus between the state government and the agitationsists first.’   Thus, said the Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee [...]

‘Gorkhaland’: GJMM seeks Advani’s intervention

DARJEELING, July 3: The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha is all set to submit documents pertaining to the separate state of Gorkhaland to the leader of the Opposition in Parliament Mr LK Advani. “The outcome of meetings with the different leaders in New Delhi recently proved fruitful. We will submit various documents of Darjeeling, Dooars, Terai [...]

Gurung only interested in tripartite talks

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Thursday said it was no longer interested in holding talks with the West Bengal government on Gorkhaland issue and was awaiting tripartite talks in Delhi. GJM president Bimal Gurung made the comment while reacting to West Bengal Home Secretary A M Chakraborty’s recent statement here last week that further talks [...]