Game of perception in politics by Jyoti Mukhia

Game of perception in politics by Jyoti Mukhia

Game of perception in politics by Jyoti Mukhia

Gorkhas Killed in Duars Firing by West Bengal Police

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 between the GJM and state government were required to find a solution to the Darjeeling problem.
Gurung said that during talks with the West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, in the last week of June, GJM leaders had requested Bhattacharjee to take the initiative for tripartite talks involving the Centre, state government and GJM.
“But we have not received any further invitation from the government. We can give our opinion only after we receive the invitation,” Gurung said.
The GJM’s insistence on tripartite talks, meanwhile, received a shot in the arm when three major constituents of the Darjeeling district Left Front — CPI, AIFB and RSP — unequivocally stressed the need for having immediate three-way dialogue.
Darjeeling district secretary of Forward Bloc Smritish Bhattacharya told PTI that the state government should take an immediate initiative for the talks.
Similarly, the CPI district secretary, Ujjawal Choudhury, said the state government should not lose any further time for the talks and the GJM at the same time should come forward with a positive frame of mind.
RSP district secretary Benoy Chakraborty went a step further, saying, “The GJM is doing the right thing by not showing interest in talks with the state government as the government has created the situation itself by indulging Ghising for almost two decades.” (The Hindu)

GORKHALAND MOVEMENT: BIMAL GURUNG’S SPEECH

On May 7th Gorkha 2008 Gorkha Janmukti Morcha organized a public meeting at Indira gandhi Maidan, siliguri. This is a glimpse of the speech of Bimal Gurung

GMM threatens to stop work on power projects

CJ: Kumar Sarkar
After a brief lull, the hills of Darjeeling threaten to become restive again. The Gorkha Mukti Morcha has now threatened to stop construction work in two hydel power projects being set up by the National Hydel Power Corporation..
THE LEFT Front government’s rejection of the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland by the Gorkha Mukti Morcha (GMM) has once again signalled unrest in the hills. This time, however, the disruption planned is of a severe nature and could be deemed an anti-social act.
The chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s assurance of greater autonomy for the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) failed to appease the Morcha leadership, which has rejected the offer. It is sticking to its demand for a separate state where it wants the inclusion of the foothill town of Siliguri and the sprawling lush green Dooars, famous for its tea and timber.
The Morcha has embarked on a plan, which is likely to bring it into a direct confrontation with the Centre and the state. The Morcha has threatened to stop work on two power projects under construction in the hills as of June 7. The threat was delivered through a news agency.
The Morcha wants to put a spanner in the works in the Teesta Low Dam projects III and IV. The two projects are being built at a cost of Rs 1,830 crores. Morcha leaders have also threatened to close down the offices of the National Hydel Power Corporation (NHPC) in the hills of Darjeeling district. The Morcha leadership’s contention is that the hydel power projects are being set up drawing on the resources of the hills but they would end up supplying electricity to the plains of West Bengal. The parochial tone of the Morcha leaders seems all but evident, given that no such decision has been announced.
The 111 megawatt Teesta Low Dam Project III being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 768.92 crores is slated to be completed by the end of this year. The on going 132 mega watt Teesta Low Dam Project IV being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,061.38 crores is slated for completion by September 2009.
In the course of reviving the movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland, which was first spearheaded by the Gorkha National Liberation Front supremo Subhas Ghisingh over 20 years ago, the Morcha is gearing up to take on the Centre. Ghisingh, was careful not to annoy the Centre. On the contrary, he kept his channels to the Centre open through former Union Home Minister, Buta Singh. During Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure, the Congress government sided with Ghisngh blatantly to needle the Left Front government in West Bengal. Though it had no intentions of carving up West Bengal by creating a separate state of Gorkhaland, political expediency seemed to have demanded that the GNLF remain a thorn in the Left government’s side.
The Morcha, in yet another departure, is seeking to disrupt work in hydel power projects where the central agency, the NHPC, is involved and had earlier threatened that hill residents would stop paying taxes, telephone bills and the like.(Merinews)

Morcha gives ultimatum

Darjeeling, May 29: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today set a June 27 deadline for the Bengal government to dissolve the DGHC and create a separate state comprising Darjeeling, the Dooars and the Terai.
Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri made the announcement following a marathon meeting of the central committee at the party’s head office in Patlabas here.
“We believe that the council that was set up in 1988 has failed to fulfil the aspiration of the hill people… The council had also left out Siliguri, Terai and the Dooars. The central committee has unanimously decided to start an agitation if our June 27 deadline to dissolve the council is not met. The only alternative that we are demanding is Gorkhaland,” Giri.
The general secretary neither spelt out the details of the agitation, nor spoke about the fate of the contractual employees currently working in the council.
However, Morcha president Bimal Gurung told DGHC contractual workers at Darjeeling Gymkhana Club early this morning that none of them would lose their jobs.
“I will not make you fight for Gorkhaland on empty stomach or by dousing your hearth. Rest assured that no matter what, no one would be able to take your jobs. You are all getting a meagre salary but the days are not far when you would be receiving a good salary,” Gurung told the large gathering.
The DGHC employs around 8,000 workers on six-month contracts and pays them between Rs 2,000 and 3,500 a month. Ever since Gurung started talking about the need to dissolve the council, these workers have been afraid of losing their jobs.
In another development, 104 gram panchayat pradhans from across the hills today resigned in support of Gorkhaland. “Of the 112 pradhans in the hills, 104 have resigned. The other seats belong to the GNLF, CPM and other political parties,” said Binay Tamang, the media and publicity secretary of the Morcha.
Although the state government had dissolved the gram panchayats in 2005 and did not hold elections after that, the pradhans were later appointed presidents of village committees overseeing the implementation of the 100-day work scheme. The pradhans/presidents also issue birth certificates.
“For us, nothing is more important than Gorkhaland, “ said Urmila Singh, the pradhan of Bijanbari.
The state government has not reacted to the en-masse resignation yet. (The Telegraph)

Gurung demands DGHC dissolution
Statesman News Service SILIGURI, May 25:
The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) president, Mr Bimal Gurung, has demanded an immediate dissolution of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), which came to existence in 1988, facilitating limited autonomy to the hill areas of Darjeeling district. Addressing a Press conference at the DGHC resort ‘Pintail Village’ in Siliguri this afternoon, Mr Gurung also said that the GJMM would soon launch a severe movement to realise the demand. “DGHC is an ‘hindrance in the way of achieving a separate Gorkhaland state and hence, it needs to be dissolved at once. Our central committee would be meeting in a day or two to discuss a resolution on that and also to chalk out a detailed agitation on the issue,” the GJMM president said. Mr Gurung’s statement comes three days after the chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told a GJMM delegation at Writers’ on 22 May that a separate Gorkhaland state was simply not possible and proposed giving further autonomy to the DGHC instead. Peeved at the rejection of the statehood demand, Mr Gurung, who was earlier all praises for the chief minister, today took a dig at him as well. “The CM only looks mild and handsome, but he is very ugly at heart,” he said, adding that in future the GJMM would not sit for any dialogue with Mr Bhattacharjee. Clarifying more, the GJMM president said, henceforth, his party would like to discuss the Gorkhaland issue directly with the Centre and demanded that the UPA government intervene in the matter immediately. Meanwhile, the demand for dissolution of the DGHC is bound to evoke a major impact in the Darjeeling Hills.Including the casual staffs, the DGHC employs about 9,000 individuals across the hills and dissolving the Council would hit their livelihood directly. The GJMM general secretary, Mr Roshan Giri, has however said that the party would take the DGHC employees into confidence before going ahead with the agitation on the demand for dissolution of the DGHC.
Down with DGHC: Morcha – Council: a stumbling block to statehood (The Telegraph)
Siliguri, May 25: The Gorkha Jammukti Morcha as part of its “final battle” wants the DGHC to be dissolved. Party president Bimal Gurung today threatened to give a call in the hills to disregard the council, as it has become a stumbling block to attaining a separate state.
The decision, if ratified by the Morcha central committee, would lead to the boycott of all DGHC activities, Gurung added.
The threat follows the chief minister’s response to the Morcha demand for Gorkhaland. A four-member Morcha delegation had met Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee last week and presented him with a map of the proposed areas — Darjeeling, Siliguri, the Dooars and the Terai — of the new state. The chief minister rejected the statehood demand and instead asked the Morcha to sit for talks so that DGHC could be strengthened through amendments.
Home secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti, who was present at the meeting, had said the chief minister had also asked the Morcha to steer clear of organisations like the Kamtapur Progressive Party and the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party. Both want Cooch Behar district to be declared a state and are supporting the Morcha in its Gorkhaland demand.
The chief minister’s rejection of the statehood demand had not gone down well with the Morcha, which also wanted the Centre to be a part of the talks.
Today, Gurung said, the Morcha was not willing to hold further dialogues with Bhattacharjee. “Since the chief minister has ignored our demand, we will now sit for discussions only with the central government,” Gurung said. However, he said, the talks should be tripartite and representatives of the state government would have to be present.
“We are going to hold our central committee meeting in the next three-four days in Darjeeling. After passing a resolution, we will ask all workers on contract at the council to resign from their jobs,” Gurung said at a hurriedly called news conference at Pintail Village, 5km from here, this afternoon.
The Morcha chief alleged that the chief minister had not given much importance to the party’s demand for Gorkhaland. “He told the delegation members that there would be problems if the demand was met,” Gurung said.
To the Morcha, Bhattacharjee’s statement had triggered the call for the “final battle”.
“It is now the final battle, a battle for existence. The hill council has for the past 21 years been our main hurdle to achieving Gorkhaland. We are determined to achieve statehood and the state government will have to face the consequences of ignoring the demand,” Gurung said.

Gurung on hunt for backers

Siliguri, May 8: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha wants neighbouring Sikkim and Gorkhas across the country to back its demand for a separate state. Not only that, it is time the celebrities whom the Morcha had once cheered, reciprocated, party chief Bimal Gurung said.
“I will write to Pawan Chamling, the chief minister of Sikkim, who is also the president of the Sikkim Democratic Front, to support us,” said Gurung.
This is the first time since its formation that Gurung is going public about seeking Chamling’s support. This afternoon, while addressing journalists at Pintail Village, 4km from here, he said: “Through a letter to Chamling, we will appeal to all residents of Sikkim to extend their support to our cause,” Gurung said.
The Morcha leader will also appeal to Gorkhas living across the country to support him. “I will also approach celebrities like soccer star Bhaichung Bhutia and Indian Idol 3 Prasant Tamang. When they score a goal or win a competition, we celebrate. Now it is their turn to reciprocate,” he said.
The party will also ask all police personnel from the community to support the demand for a separate state.
Twenty-four hours after the Morcha meeting at Indira Gandhi Maidan where the CPM and its minister Asok Bahttacharya were verbally bashed up for more than 20 minutes, Gurung today came down upon them once more. Bhattacharya and his team have described the Morcha demand as ugro jatiyatabad (ultra nationalism) and accused them of not allowing other parties to hold political programmes in the hills.
“If they (CPM leaders) have the courage, let them come (to the hills) and hold programmes like the one we did here yesterday. It was peaceful and democratic,” said Gurung.
“If KLO, Bodoland Tiger Force and Bhutan Communist Party were present at the meeting, then what were the police doing?” the Morcha leader said in response to the minister’s charges that members of extremist groups were present at the meeting yesterday.
Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said: “After seeing the success of our meeting in Siliguri, the minister has lost his senses.” (The Telegraph)