Darjeeling, Nov. 9 -- The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) turning volte-face batted for Gorkhaland on Sunday, shelving the Gorkhaland Territorial Region (GTR), they had been advocating. The all-party meeting called by the GJM in Darjeeling on Sunday saw 5 parties participating out of the 12 invited. The Gorkha Janjati Mahasangh also took out a rally in Darjeeling on Sunday with the slogan "No ST No Vote".

"The parties attending the meeting on Sunday decided to raise the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland with the Terai and Dooars region. We will raise this demand before the interlocutor in one voice," stated Roshan Giri, General Secretary, GJM. Incidentally, the GJM had called the all-party meeting to arrive at a consensus on a political arrangement as a solution for the Gorkha impasse.

Earlier, they had claimed that in a meeting between Union Home minister Amit Shah and GJM president Bimal Gurung in September, Shah had proposed a highest form of unity for the GTA on the lines of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), with the nomenclature Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. When confronted with the question on Sunday on what would be the fate of the GTR, Giri stated: "We did not discuss GTR. We have taken a united stand on Gorkhaland."

Training guns at the political parties that gave the all party meeting a skip, Giri stated: "The parties that were not present in the all-party meeting are not interested in resolving the Gorkha impasse. They are just interested in indulging in politics. Since 1907 the Hills, Terai and Dooars have been demanding separation from Bengal. It is the people's aspiration. However, there are some parties in the Hills who are happy in running a mini development agency without any autonomy."

The parties that remained inconspicuous in Sunday's meeting include TMC, CPI(M), Congress, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front (IGJF), Gorkha National Liberation Front and Gorkha Rashtriya Congress. Parties that attended include BJP, GJM, CPRM, Sumeti Mukti Morcha and Gorkha Rashtriya Nirman Morcha.

Meanwhile, thousands from the Gorkha Janjati Mahasangh marched from the Darjeeling Railway station to the Chowk Bazar with the demand of Scheduled Tribe status for 11 Gorkha sub-communities. The BJP in their election manifesto has been committing to include the 11 Gorkha sub communities in the ST list. However, it is yet to see the light of day.

Echoing the slogan "No ST, No Vote" and "Justice in 2025" Amit Thapa, General Secretary of the Mahasanga warned: "We may not form governments but we can definitely break them. If the 11 communities are not included in the ST list this Winter Session of Parliament, we will withdraw our support."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.