The “brown envelope”, which has been the talk of the hills for the past week, has finally started reaching Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders asking them to refrain from in any party activity.

The move, apparently aimed to cleanse the party of corruption, could also be one of the biggest tests for the Morcha. The outfit has sent notices, slipped inside brown envelopes, to at least one central committee member who has been with the Morcha since its inception on October 7, 2007.

“Brown envelope” was a term used by the British press to imply below-the-table transactions of slush money or information that politicians indulged in.

Even though Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri refused to divulge the names until the list was completed, sources said notices have been sent to Bimal Darjee, the convener of the party’s Tindharia-Sukna unit, who is also a central committee member. According to well-placed sources, notices have also gone to Sujan Rai and Saran Lama, both from Liza Hill unit, apart from Praveen Tuladhar of Kalimpong.

Darjee admitted that he has received the notice. “I got the letter on October 28 and I will obey the decision taken by the party president,” he said over the phone from Tindharia in Kurseong subdivision.

Morcha president Bimal Gurung, while addressing a public meeting in Darjeeling on October 25, had said he was aware of some leaders who had bought SUVs and were taking “pact-money” from contractors. The Morcha president had urged the people not to speak on behalf of these leaders and instead mark them out as those who were not sincere towards Gorkhaland.

Darjee, however, said he had always stood by his principles. “I have not bought cars or taken pact money (for contracts). Anyone can meet me for a clarification. I am not against the cause of Gorkhaland and its people either,” he said.

Darjee, however, said since no clarification was sought by the Morcha from him, he would not explain his stand to the party leadership on his own. “The letter states that I should no longer interfere with party activities in the Tindharia-Sukna area and also should not participate in the workings of the development committee of the Morcha,” said Darjee. Technically, Darjee has not been expelled from the party’s primary membership if one is to go by the content of the notice.

“In future, if Bimal Gurung thinks I should take up some party responsibilities, I will definitely shoulder them to the best of my abilities as I am always committed towards the cause of Gorkhaland,” said Darjee.

Analysts believe that the move to send the notices, virtually sidelining some of the leaders in the party, could be one of the biggest tests for the Morcha. “If the dissenters manage to influence a section in the Morcha, which has had intra-party squabblings in some areas, the party could face some troubled times,” said an analyst.

However, other observers believe that given the overwhelming support that the Morcha currently enjoys in the hills, the leaders against whom notices have been sent cannot be a major threat immediately. “In fact, the political careers of some of these leaders could be doomed,” another analyst said. (The Telegraph)

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today announced that it would lock all the block development offices across the hills from November 7 even as the interlocutor for the talks involving the Centre, the state government and the party arrived here.

“However, we have decided to exempt those sections which deal with registration and issuing of birth and death certificates at the BDO offices from the agitation,” said Binay Tamang, the assistant general secretary of the Morcha.

The move is expected to paralyse administrative and development works in rural areas. Bimal Gurung, the president of the Morcha, had announced one week back that all panchayat offices would be closed indefinitely from November 7 as part of its non-co-operation movement.

The party has also decided to close down all the liquor offshops in the hills from the same date and asked business establishments to use the word “Gorkhaland” on their signboards.

Lt Gen. (retd) Vijay Madan, who had been appointed the interlocutor to look into the demands of the Morcha, arrived in Darjeeling yesterday.

The decision to appoint the interlocutor had been agreed to at the third rounds of talks among the Central and state governments and the Morcha in Delhi on August 11. The Union home ministry had announced Madan’s appointment on October 23.

According to sources, Roshan Giri, general secretary of the Morcha, along with the party’s central committee members Amar Lama and Asha Gurung, met Madan in Darjeeling last evening. “It was basically a courtesy call,” said a Morcha source.

A meeting between Gurung and Madan has been fixed at a Darjeeling hotel at 3pm tomorrow. “The meeting has been confirmed,” admitted Tamang.

Gurung is expected to reach Darjeeling late this evening after his five-day tour of Sandakphu-Rimbick. According to sources, Madan will be leaving Darjeeling on November 3. His visit is seen as a move to prepare the groundwork for the next tripartite meeting scheduled to be held in Darjeeling on December 21.

Gurung had already announced that he would intensify the agitation and impose “home rule and declare “Gorkhaland”, if the December talks were not fruitful.

The closure of the BDO offices is likely to affect the Central government’s 100-day work programme and projects like construction of roads.

The BDO offices look into every aspect of development in rural areas like the implementation of the Indira Awaas Yojna, under which houses are built for people below poverty line. (The Telegraph)

The Hindu
KOLKATA: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leadership has expressed “satisfaction” with the outcome of the third round of tripartite talks held in New Delhi on Tuesday to end the political stalemate in the Darjeeling hills arising from the GJM demand for the creation of a Gorkhaland state.

“In the right direction”
“The results of the talks are a step in the right direction but the new administrative set-up for the region as proposed by the Centre will have to be a Gorkhaland State,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri, told The Hindu on the phone from Darjeeling.
He was referring to reports from the capital that Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai suggested an alternative set-up for the region that is to be finalised through mutual consultations and agreement between the parties concerned.
“The decision taken at the meeting to repeal the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) Act, 1988, to pave the way for an alternative administrative set-up is one that we have been demanding for a long time,” Mr. Giri said.
“It has also been agreed that the proposal for granting Sixth Schedule status to the Darjeeling Hills will be dropped. This was another one of our demands.”
The GJM called for a CBI probe into corruption cases during Subash Ghisingh’s (former DGHC chairman) tenure, Mr. Giri said.
A Central team will be visiting the hills to “study the ground realities.”

FROM INDIAN EXPRESS

A day before the scheduled meeting between Dooars tribals and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)  organised a public meeting in Garubathan on the Darjeeling-Jalpaiguri border that was attended by tribals as well. Terming the upcoming meeting on Thursday as “eyewash”, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said the state government’s policy was “ridiculous”.

“On the one hand, they are instigating the tribals against us and on the other, they are calling them for a meeting. In today’s public meeting, many tribal leaders spoke apart from our president Bimal Gurung,” Giri said.

A 15-member delegation of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) will meet Bhattacharjee at 5 pm on Thursday to discuss the ongoing stand-off between them and the GJM  in the Dooars. The meeting comes nine days after the CM met with a seven-member GJM  delegation, following which tension eased somewhat in the tea belt.

The delegation will comprise five members of the ABAVP state committee and 10 from the Terai and Dooars.

Leading 30 tribal leaders from Nagrakata, the flashpoint of the Gorkha-tribal clashes that began on January 16, is Rajesh Lakra, Dooars-Terai Coordination Committee secretary. Lakra, a hitherto unknown entity in the region, was seen at the forefront of the clashes as well as presenting the public face of the Parishad.

Born in Nagrakata, Lakra (37) has been an ABAVP member for only two years. “I joined the Parishad like many others when mobilisation of tribals began following the stripping of a tribal woman during a rally in Assam’s Beltala. At that time, we felt if this could happen to tribals elsewhere, it could happen to us as well. I am by profession a teacher at a primary school in Chengmari tea garden,” Lakra said from Nagrakata.

“Our people are growing restive. We are the majority inhabitants of the Terai and Dooars. We live here. How can people from outside come down and claim our land? We won’t tolerate it. There will be no problems if the Nepalis stick to the Hills. They are still in Gorubathan, which continues to cause tension in the area,” he said.

In Kolkata, ABAVP state president Birsa Tirkey said the meeting would also be about tribal issues such as implementing of constitutional guarantees for tribals.

“The Dooars is a scheduled area. So, the Morcha’s bid to include it in Gorkhaland is unlawful. Eighty per cent of the population is tribal. We called a bandh to protest the GJM move. We fought them and if necessary we’ll do it again. Mobilisation of tribals against the Gorkha threat began nearly four years ago,” said Tirkey, who has been with the ABAVP since 1970. He added that 10 leaders from the Dooars would be picked out of the 30 arriving here on Thursday.

FROM TIMES OF INDIA

KOLKATA: The tribals of the Dooars are very much with the state government and will not support the Gorkhaland movement, a delegation of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parshad (ABAVP) told chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Thursday.

The CM has agreed to their demands for more schools in the region. He has even asked secretaries of the school education and backward classes welfare departments to visit the Dooars on February 1.

“We have told the chief minister that we are not supporting the Gorkhaland movement,” said ABAVP president Birsa Tirkey.

“The map that is being circulated by the  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters includes some of our domain that belong to us traditionally and historically. The land where tea gardens have come up was reclaimed by our ancestors. Under no circumstances, shall we allow them to be included in the GJM’s demand for Gorkhaland,” he asserted. “Only a handful of tribals are with the GJM, demanding Gorkhaland,” Tirkey added.

Chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said the delegation demanded police action against GJM supporters involved in the Malbazar and Nagrakata clashes earlier this month. “The CM has asked police to take action against anyone, who has disrupted law and order.” The delegates, in turn, said they would only resort to agitations if their demands were not fulfilled. “The ABAVP members did mention a demand about an autonomous council. But the CM has assured of looking into their demands,” said Chakrabarti.

FROM INDIAN EXPRESS

Kolkata: The stand-off between the Gorkhas and tribals in north Bengal showed no signs of resolution when in a pre-scheduled meeting with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Bikash Parishad (ABABP) delegation on Thursday made it clear it would not allow the Dooars and Terai regions to be included in the Gorkhaland, as being demanded by the  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

A 13-member delegation of the Parishad, which met the CM today, placed a 13-point charter of demands.

The GJM has been demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland comprising Darjeeling, Siliguri and the areas of the Dooars and Terai in Jalpaiguri district. On Thursday, the GJM  started an indefinite hunger-strike at Gorubathan in Darjeeling district to press for its demands.

“Dooars and Terai region was reclaimed by our forefathers and they have no right to claim it. And they have the support of not even 5 per cent of tribals. As far as the Gorkhaland agitation is concerned, it is for the government to tackle it,” Birsa Tirkey, president of the Parishad who led the delegation, said after the meeting with the CM that lasted for two about hours.

The Parishad’s demands include action against those involved in the recent clashes between the GJM  and the tribals, more jobs for tribals, setting up of Hindi-medium schools in the region and opening of closed tea gardens.

Tirkey, however, said they were not demanding an autonomous council there. “We may demand it if our demands are not met,” he said.

The chief minister urged the delegation to maintain peace and harmony in the area and promised to look into their demands.

“The delegation said they were against the Gorkhaland. The chief minister said their demands would be looked into and promised he would try to meet as many of them as possible,” chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said.

FROM THE STATESMAN

JALPAIGURI, Jan. 28: Resisting the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)’s drive to collect Adivasi youths from the Dooars for recruitment as Gorkhaland personnel (GLP), the Akhil Bhartiya Adivasi Bikash Parishad (ABABP) today detained a busload of tribal youths, apparently assembled by the GJM for recruitment as GLP.

The incident happened near old Hasimara in Jalpaiguri district when a bus containing about 60 to 70 tribal youths was travelling towards Gorubathan where the GJM is scheduled to launch a hunger strike tomorrow. ABABP activists stopped the bus near old Hasimara and sent them back home.

According to ABABP Jaigaon regional committee president Mr Raju Bara, GJM activists were trying to “mislead” the Adivasi youths. “Learning that GJM activists were snaring Adivasi youths, we went to the spot and rescued our boys. All of them were from the Bhatpara Tea Estate area of Kalchini and unemployed. The GJM had offered them jobs and were trying to misguide them,” he alleged.

The Adivasi leader further stated that the youths have been advised against enlisting with the GLP as it was an unconstitutional set-up. “We pointed out that the GJM was trying to create disturbance in the area and assured them that we’ll try to find them employment opportunities as early as possible. Ultimately they went back home convinced,” Mr Bara said.

Commenting on the development, a member of Terai-Dooars Coordination Committee of ABABP, Mr Rajesh Lakra, said: “We will report the incident to the chief minister during our talks in Kolkata tomorrow and urge him to create job opportunity for the Adivasi youths. We will not allow the GJM  to sway away our youths,” he added.

The GJM has protested against the ABABP’s act. The organisation’s media and publicity secretary of East Dooars, Mr Rajesh Sharma, said that the Adivasi supporters had “unlawfully” stopped the youths. “All of them are committed GJM supporters but the ABABP activists threatened them to stay away from our organisation. It is undemocratic and we strongly protest against it,” he said.

FROM THE STATESMAN

JALPAIGURI, Jan. 29: The  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) began its pre-declared hunger strike at Gorubathan in Kalimpong sub-division today demanding unconditional authorisation to organise conventions and rallies in the Dooars.

The Darjeeling district magistrate, Mr Surendra Gupta, said that the administration was keeping a close watch on the situation. “We have prepared a team of doctors to monitor the agitators’ health. The BDO, Gorubathan, and police have been instructed to keep an eye on the overall condition,” the DM, said. According to the GJM leadership, chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had in the 21 January meeting with GJM representatives assured to consider their demands seriously but the administration is yet to take steps in that direction. “We had urged the chief minister to take required action within a week but the time has run out and no action in keeping with our demands has been taken. Under the circumstances, we have decided to organise a hunger strike to press our demands,” the GJM secretary, Mr Roshan Giri, said.

According to Mr Giri, 17 GJM supporters started the fast programme in front of the Gorubathan police station form 11 a.m. “The hunger strike would continue till the state government fulfills our demands,” he added.

The GJM is also apparently not treating today’s scheduled meeting between the ABABP and the chief minister in Kolkata, seriously. “The meeting is an eyewash,” is the opinion of party chief Mr Bimal Gurung.

“The Left ruled state government did nothing for the development of the tribal people so far and we are convinced the ABABP would not succeed in doing so either. The GJM has assured to admit 300 tribal children in schools of Kurseong, Kalimpong  and Darjeeling to provide them better education,” he said.

The Adivasi Bikas Parishad leaderhip has refuted the claim. “We would not allow the GJM to exploit our men,” the Terai Committee secretary of ABABP, Mr Sushil Tirkey, said.

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

A makeshift camp of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Gorubathan. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Alipurduar, Jan. 28: The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad today forced a busload of garden workers on their way to Gorubathan to register with the Gorkhaland Personnel to turn back and return to Kalchini.

The private bus with nearly 50  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters from the Dooars on board was stopped at Old Hasimara, 40km from here, around 11am.

The supporters – 30 of them were Adivasis and the rest Gorkhas – were from Bhatpara Tea Estate in Kalchini.

“We were on our way to meet Morcha  president Bimal Gurung. Some of us had wanted to register with the special cell, the GLP. But the Parishad stopped us midway,” said Ranthu Baraik, a 25-year-old garden worker who was on the bus.

Raju Barla, the secretary of the state organising committee of the Parishad, said his outfit had prior information about the bus.

“Based on that, we reached Old Hasimara. We brought down the Adivasis from the vehicle. I told them that the GLP is not any government force and that they should not join it. I warned them that they would be given arms in the future to organise anti-social activities in the Dooars. The Adivasis realised that they had been misled and said they would like to go back.”

After the bus was stopped, there was an altercation with the Morcha supporters and the Parishad members.

A police force from Hasimara outpost reached the spot along with Rajendra Prasad Sun Das, the block development officer of Kalchini. “The BDO intervened and asked the Adivasis to go back. We had told the Morcha leaders to restrict their movement to the hills and leave the Dooars out. We will act if we get information like this in the future,” said Barla.

The Parishad leader said the Adivasis in the bus had been singled out and told to get down from the bus. “We called them one by one and explained to them why they should not go to Gorubathan.”

Barla said after tomorrow’s meeting with the chief minister, the Parishad would launch a door-to-door awareness campaign in the Dooars. “We will explain to the garden workers the evil intention of the Morcha.”

Ashoke Lama, the president of the Morcha’s Kalchini Block Committee, said the bus went back to Bhatpara on the request of the block officer. “Our party president (Bimal Gurung) had said he would meet the Adivasis from different parts of the Dooars and so we were on our way to Gorubathan, But the Parsihad members stopped us illegally.”

The BDO said there had been “a little tension” in the area.

“I told the Morcha supporters not to move forward because it might lead to violence. Earlier, the two groups, the Morcha and the Parishad, had clashed over holding meetings. We don’t want a repetition of that. The situation is completely under control,” the block officer said.

FROM INDIAN EXPRESS

The fragile peace in the Dooars is once again in danger with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) threatening to enter the area to hold a rally despite prohibitory orders.

Slamming Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for “not keeping his word” given at the meeting in Kolkata on January 20, GJM  general secretary Roshan Giri said the Morcha would go on a “fast-unto-death” in front of Garubathan police station from January 29 – the day the CM has invited a delegation of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) leaders to Kolkata for a meeting to resolve the stand-off in the Dooars.

Senior GJM leaders, including the outfit’s president Bimal Gurung, are camping in Garubathan on the Darjeeling-Jalpaguri border in a bid to enter the Dooars, where prohibitory orders were issued on January 15, a day before the Gorkha-tribal clashes rocked the area, Special IG (Jalpaiguri Range) Zulfiqar Hasan said. “At the moment, we do not see it fit to lift the prohibitory orders. Three companies of the Seema Suraksha Bal continue to patrol the area,” Hasan said.

The GJM has shot off a letter to the CM listing its demands. “No step has been taken to free our activists from prisons in Jalpaiguri and compensating those whose property was damaged in the riots. None of the persons we named for attacking our rally have been arrested. We have faxed a letter to the CM saying we would sit on a fast-unto-death. Copies have also been sent to the Bengal Governor, President of India and the Union Home Minister,” Giri said.

“We have demanded safety and security of life and property of our people in the Dooars, reopening of 13 closed tea gardens, to allow rallies and the release of all our people from Jalpaiguri jails,” Giri said.

Meanwhile, after remaining closed for 20 days, government offices in Darjeeling district reopened today after the GJM relaxed its enforced shutdown. Giri said the offices would remain open till February 7.

District magistrate Surendra Gupta said work had piled up during the long period of bandh. “We’ll concentrate on clearing files. The people were affected by the shutdown as documents like Sikkim permits, caste certificates for students, domicile certificates could not be issued,” Gupta said.

On Sunday, state Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharya had accused the GJM of trying to paralyse development in the Hills and to bring lawlessness in the Terai-Dooars region. “The Morcha’s decision to collect revenue out of the tea produced in the Darjeeling Hills amounted to an audacious challenge to the constitutional right of the state government. If acted upon, it would play havoc with the already dwindling tea industry in the region,” he had said.

“No responsible government could brook such lawlessness masquerading as statehood agitation. This is all the more deplorable as the tripartite negotiation is going on,” he said.

FROM THE STATESMAN

Kurseong, Jan. 27: Five  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters, who were arrested on 13 January, in connection with the 2 January Kurseong Court hostilities were produced today in the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court, Kurseong. Their bail petition was rejected. The next hearing would be held on 10 February.

A large number of GJM supporters from Singel Tea Estate areas organised a rally in Kurseong town, demonstrating against the administration. Mr Anoj Thapa, a GJM leader from Singel Tea Estate unit said that one of the arrested persons was from Singel Tea Estate and he was not guilty. “The administration should immediately release him as well as the other four,” he said. He also said that the GJM would observe a “jail bharo aandolan” if the administration arrested innocent people again.

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

 Darjeeling, Jan. 25: The  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has decided to relax the strike in state and central government offices from Tuesday till February 7.

However, the party’s trade union has threatened to indefinitely stop the flow of tea from hill gardens unless an auction centre was set up within the Darjeeling brew growing area.

Although Morcha media and publicity secretary Binay Tamang refused to provide any reason for lifting the strikes, it was obvious that the decision was taken to allow the treasury to disburse the salaries of nearly 20,000 government employees.

“The strike will be off in state and central government offices from January 27 to February 7. This is the stand of the party,” said Tamang.

On December 8, the Morcha  had called for a closure of all government offices as part of its non-cooperation movement. At the end of the month, the party had relaxed the strike to allow employees to draw their salaries. The strike was resumed from January 7.

The Morcha trade union, however, has not yet set a deadline for setting up the auction centre . Milan Pradhan, the spokesperson for the Darjeeling  Terai Dooars Plantation Workers Union, a Morcha  affiliate, said: “No tea is manufactured in the gardens at this time. We will decide on the deadline, once production starts in March.”

The union leader admitted that setting up a tea auction centre was not easy. “We are aware of the process. The (nature of our) agitation might change, depending on the negotiations,” said Pradhan.

Bengal already has three auction centres in Jalpaiguri, Siliguri and Calcutta. The Morcha wants the fourth one to be set up exclusively for Darjeeling Tea preferably near Pintail Village.

All business establishments in town remained closed for about two hours today with the All Gorkha Minority Forum bringing out a rally to protest against the violence in the Dooars. The shops opened from 1pm.

FROM TIMES OF INDIA

By Pinak Priya Bhattacharya

JALPAIGURI: Intelligence agencies are worried over reports that Bhutan Maoists have extended support to the Gorkhaland movement in the Darjeeling.

Hills, spearheaded by  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). Under the circumstances, it is being feared that the region might witness acts of extreme violence.

According to Intelligence reports, the Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) has been regularly keeping in touch with a section of GJM leaders. The party has reportedly assured GJM leaders of extending all possible support to the statehood movement.

The two armed wings of BCP (M-L-M) Bhutan Tiger Force and United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan are keeping in touch with some GJM leaders and have assured to help them out if the movement takes a violent turn. The two outfits are active in southern Bhutan, and their help to Gorkhaland supporters in the Dooars can pose serious law and order problems.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri, however, rubbished such fears. “There is absolutely no question of Bhutan Maoists supporting the Gorkhaland cause. If there are such allegations, I categorically deny them. GJM is following a Gandhian movement, in which there is no scope of violence. Such baseless rumours are being spread by a section of people to intentionally malign our movement,” he told TOI.

Even before any anti-Ghisingh uprising in the Hills could be sensed, Intelligence agencies had reported that the Nepalese population of North Bengal might revive their demand for Gorkhaland. The Nepalese living in the Dooars were never happy with Ghisingh, as they felt the GNLF supremo had betrayed them by excluding Dooars from the DGHC.

It was due to this that organizations such as the Nepalese National Democratic Front of India (NNDFI) could penetrate into the Dooars while the Maoist movement was at its peak in  Nepal. And, supporting the NNDFI was perhaps the launching pad for another Gorkhaland movement, as a section of the region’s Nepalese wanted Bhutanese refugees to support their cause. Sleuths now fear that if the Bhutanese refugees do join the movement, the region will witness violence worse than what Nepal experienced.

“Bhutan Maoists have already joined hands with Ulfa, KLO and NDFB, and they already have good relations with Nepal Maoists. The organization was formed in the refugee camps of Nepal, and is being regularly helped by Nepal Maoists. It is clear that the situation is much grimmer this time than it was in the Eighties,” said an official.

Due to their same origin, language and culture, it has become very difficult for police to differentiate between Bhutanese refugees and Indian Nepalese. A large number of the former had settled down in the Dooars after they were evicted from Bhutan in the Eighties. It was this section that had worked as mediators in building up relations with Bhutan Maoists, according to sources.

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, Jan. 23: The Bengal government has called the Adivasi Vikas Parishad, which has been spearheading the anti-Gorkhaland agitation in the Dooars, for talks in Calcutta next week.

“The chief minister will meet us on January 29,” Birsa Tirkey, the state president of the Parishad, said in Calcutta.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee spoke to  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders, who want a Gorkhaland state carved out of Darjeeling, Siliguri, the Dooars and the Terai, on January 21 “to avert ethnic clashes”.

After the meeting, where Morcha leaders accused the Parishad of inciting violence, the Darjeeling district Left Front had said the government should also hear the other side. There were clashes last week when members of the Parishad foiled Morcha attempts to hold rallies in the Dooars.

FROM THE STATESMAN

Siliguri, Jan. 23: The communication revolution is now making its presence felt in north Bengal. Along with the agitations in the Darjeeling Hills and Dooars in support of Gorkhaland, a movement for the demand is silently taking place on the Internet.

Gorkhaland supporters based in different parts of India have created several community groups on social networking sites like Orkut, Ibibo, Myspace and Facebook to enlist support for Gorkhaland from non-resident Gorkhas all over the world and generate international opinion in favour of the demand.

The groups, with names like ‘Gorkhaland’, ‘Jai Gorkhaland’, ‘Free Gorkhaland’, ‘Gorkhaland ~ Our Birthright’, ‘Gorkhaland Awareness Campaign’, ‘Gorkhaland ~ QA New Beginning’, ‘We Support Gorkhaland’, ‘Gorkhaland On The Way’ and ‘Gorkhaland ~ Final Countdown’ have members in different parts of the world.

As is clear from the dates of their scraps and postings, the groups were created soon after the  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) launched its agitation in August 2008.

Though the identities of the owners of these communities are unknown, the fact that some diehard supporters of Gorkhaland maintain them, for the most part, is evident from their group descriptions.

Like the contentious “GL” number plates, these communities have already created a lot of resentment among a large number of Internet users belonging to various ethnic and linguistic groups in the region. Said Mr Santosh Sarkar of Jalpaiguri: “The scraps, postings and introductory descriptions in these groups are replete with false claims and provocative propaganda, which are a veritable threat to communal harmony among Indians.”

Mr Ranjan Jha of Siliguri suggested that the administration should take immediate action against the moderators of these communities because their contents were misleading the members of social networking sites, most of whom were young people in the age group of 15 to 25.

Mr Kundan Lal Tamta, IG, North Bengal, admitted that the police were unaware of the development, but made it clear that unless someone lodged a formal complaint to the police against these communities, they would not enquire into the issue. The IG argued that until it was proved by an incident that these communities were stoking communal fire there was no point in blocking them.

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Kurseong, Jan. 23: The Netaji museum at Giddhapahar went without celebrations on the birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose today because of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) -sponsored office strike in the hills.

The house owned by Netaji’s brother, Sarat Chandra Bose, was converted into a museum under the Netaji Institute for Asian Studies in 2001 by the state government.

“Every year, there used to be a big programme to commemorate his birth anniversary. But, there was no such thing today. The subdivisional officer of Kurseong and some other employees came in the morning, hoisted the national flag and offered khadas (silken scarves) to the statue,” said 81-year-old Moti Maya Lepcha, a gardener in the museum.

Lepcha was nine-year-old when Netaji was kept under house arrest by the Britishers in Giddapahar, 2km from here. She recalled her association with Netaji.

“I used to call him kaka babu. My Father Kalu Singh Lama used to work for him. When my father was away for work and left us behind, Netaji used to take care of my family. He played with his nieces Mira, Gita, Roma and Chitra. I also give them company,” Lepcha said.

This year, officials said Netaji’s birth anniversary programme could not be held because of the ongoing strike in the hills.

“We could not attend our offices for long. Since we had to invite guests from Calcutta and other places for today’s event, it was not possible for us to prepare any programme without going to the office,” said Ganesh Pradhan, the in-charge of the museum. “At least a month is required to hold a programme like this.”

The strike has also affected the opening of the Centre for the Studies in Himalayan Languages, Society and Culture, which will be a part of the Institute.

“No work has begun till now,” Pradhan said.

The subdivisional officer of Kurseong, Dipyendu Das, echoed Pradhan.

“It is really bad that we could not organise any programme today. The uncertainty brought about by the ongoing office strike is the reasons behind this,” said Das who is also the chairman of the museum’s governing body.

Few local residents visited the museum to offer tributes to Netaji today. “We definitely missed the celebration today,” said Purusottam Adhikary a resident of Giddhapahar.

On this day last year, the event was marked by a cultural programme along with a seminar on Netaji’s life, which was attended by speakers from Calcutta.

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Sitaram Yechury

Siliguri, Jan. 23: CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury today appealed to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and other parties in the region to maintain peace and work together for development of north Bengal.

Yechury, who was here to address a gathering organised by the party’s Siliguri zonal committee, said: “We are against the division of states and always advocating greater autonomy within them. The state government has also said the same in this case. Parties and organisations demanding separate statehood should strive together for the betterment of the region.”

The CPM leader said there could be grievances among ethnic groups and tribals because of lack of development, unemployment, education and others. “But instead of creating tension in the region, it is better to resolve the problems through talks.”

According to him, north Bengal, owing to its strategic location, has greater chances of an economic boost – thanks to the improvement in trade and infrastructure with Southeast Asian nations and the Centre’s “Look East” policy.

“We have opposed formation of states like Uttarakhand and Jharkhand and oppose the demand of Gorkhaland as well. People in north Bengal have been living together for over 200 years and any disturbance at this time will severely affect the economic growth. I appeal to the groups and parties to work together, participate in the talks and maintain peace,” Yechury said.

Any turmoil in the region, considering its importance of location, will only “strengthen the hands of those who want to create disturbance in the country.”

On national politics, the CPM leader asked supporters to start working for the coming general elections with an intention to “raise an anti-Congress, anti-BJP government at the Centre”.

In Indian political scenario, it has been seen that such a front has come to power after every 10 years of rule. “We are striving for such an alliance, which will work for people and invest funds to improve their quality of life, instead of bailing out multinational corporations,” he said.

Later, Yechury told journalists that the CPM has discussed the formation of a Third Front with the Telugu Desham Party in Andhra Pradesh, All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu and the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka. “We want the parties to decide their stances and join the Front if they share the same opinion.”

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

The Morcha team, led by Roshan Giri (centre), on its arrival from Calcutta at the Bagdogra airport on Friday. The delegation held talks with the chief minister in Writers’ Buildings on Wednesday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Darjeeling, Jan. 23: The  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has decided to compensate its supporters whose houses were damaged during the recent spate of violence in the Dooars.

“We have already provided Rs 10,000 each to the six families from the Lakhipara tea garden (in Jalpaiguri) to construct their houses which had been burnt down by the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad members recently,” said Binay Tamang, the media and publicity secretary of the Morcha .

Apart from the financial aid, the Morcha  is also distributing food items like rice, flour and mustard oil to its affected supporters.

“The six families came to meet our president Bimal Gurung at Gorubathan on Wednesday. He gave them around three quintals of rice, a tin of mustard oil and flour. We will also provide them with clothes in the days to come,” Tamang said over phone from Gorubathan in  Kalimpong subdivision.

In a meeting held in Calcutta on Wednesday, a seven-member delegation led by party general secretary Roshan Giri, had demanded compensation from the state government for their supporters who had lost their properties in the recent violence.

Tamang also said the Morcha  had directed 112 people living in a camp at Jhaldhaka to submit to the party within two days the details of the damage they had suffered in the Dooars. He added that an initial compensation of Rs 10,000 would be distributed among them.

“They were also asked to give their names and addresses so that the party can work out the compensation package. The same list will be given to the government for the compensation,” Tamang said.

The Morcha said the state government gave them a positive response on providing aid.

“It might take some time for the government aid to reach the victims, but the party has decided to go ahead with its own compensation package. We have asked the victims in the Dooars to get in touch with the Morcha   leaders for the compensation,” said the spokesperson.

The party is expected to verify the extent of the damage before it doles out the compensation package. The Morcha  alleges that properties owned by more than 50 of its supporters were damaged during the recent strife in the Dooars.

Earlier, too, the Morcha  had provided relief material, consisting mostly of clothes and foodgrain, to about 14 “innocent” families whose houses were razed to the ground at Rohini on January 1.

Around 20 houses had been burnt following the murder of Subodh Pradhan, a Morcha   leader, in Rohini.

The Morcha  had claimed that the houses were burnt down by “a mob angry over the death of the leader”. The victims had, however, lodged an FIR, accusing Pradeep Pradhan, the Morcha vice-president, of leading the attack.

But the party said no relief or monetary assistance would be given to the members of the six families who were allegedly linked with Pradhan’s murder.

Talks offer

The Bengal government has invited the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Bikash Parishad, spearheading an anti-Gorkhaland movement in the Dooars, for talks in Calcutta on January 29.

“We have received a message from the divisional commissioner of Jalpaiguri that the chief minister and the top brass of the government would like to meet our representatives in Calcutta,” Birsa Tirkey, the state president of the Parishad, said over phone from Calcutta today. “We have decided to send a 10-member team to hold talks.”

FROM THE STATESMAN

Siliguri, Jan. 22: Harking back to the legends is but natural. Yet, a shallow romance with the past has its danger of blurring history.

With the debate gaining momentum over the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supremo Mr Bimal Gurung’s recent statement hinting at a change of track in the context of the Gorkhaland movement, from the Gandhian non-cooperation to Subhas Chandra’s armed insurrection, the question whether such fantasizing with history is justified or not has assumed significance, more so, with his birthday tomorrow. Ridiculing the hinted change of track, Forward Bloc general secretary Mr Debabrata Biswas said over phone from New Delhi that Mr Gurung and his followers were distorting history. “Dragging the luminous Netaji legacy down to the level of a statehood aspiration of a particular Indian community amounts to an infantile attempt to twist history for a sectarian purpose,” he said.

Differing with such a view, history professor, North Bengal University Dr Ananda Gopal Ghosh said that Mr Gurung’s recent straightjacketing of the Netaji legacy and a possible anti-state armed movement should not be read in the strict perspectives of history. “The juxtaposition is indeed wrong from the historical standpoint yet, the emotive statement exemplifies the Indian Gorkhas’ unwavering adulation for Netaji. They identify more with the indomitable conviction of redoubtable Subhas Chandra than with the soft-spoken apostle of non-violence. It is wrong to subject the statement to historical nitty gritty,” he said. According to Dr Bani Prasanna Mishra, the former director of the Department of Himalayan Studies, NBU, Mr Gurung’s recent statement inadvertently rekindled the ticklish question of the extra territorial loyalty of a section of the Indian Gorkhas.

“The Netaji legacy stands for seeking foreign assistance to achieve a goal. Is the GJM leadership thinking in terms of seeking outside help to liberate their ‘land’ from the ‘Bengali colonial stranglehold’? They should clarify this point so that the gathering confusion on their alleged split loyalty is cleared once and for all,” he said.

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

A rally brought out by minority communities in Kalimpong for Gorkhaland. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Siliguri, Jan. 22: The Darjeeling district Left Front will write to the chief minister and its chairman Biman Bose demanding action against those responsible for violence in the hills and the Dooars ever since the Gorkhaland movement was revived by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) .

“We welcome the chief minister’s decision to sit across the table with the Morcha  leaders. But before the government considers its demand, it should also look into issues like compensating the affected families at Rohini where supporters of the hill party had set fire to 20 homes. The culprits responsible for the incident should be arrested,” said Asok Bhattacharya, the district left front convener and local MLA.

Bhattacharya, also the urban development minister, said it was Morcha supporters who had attacked his and sabhadhipati Mani Thapa’s vehicles. “They had also attacked the residence of Joachim Buxla, the RSP MP from Alipurduar. If the government takes action against people responsible for attacking Morcha supporters, the culprits of these incidents should be punished as well.”

The Morcha   leaders have been demanding permission to hold public meetings in the Dooars. But they never allow any other outfit to organise similar programmes in the hills, Bhattacharya said.

At a meeting in Writers Buildings yesterday, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had assured a Morcha delegation that action would be taken against those responsible for launching attacks on the party’s supporters during its Dooars Chalo movement.

“Such biased stand of the state government has already annoyed our supporters and we suspect the situation may deteriorate if there is one-sided police action. It is important that the police take action against the Morcha as well to prove the neutrality of the administration,” the leader said.

Bhattacharya criticised the Congress and Trinamul for not disclosing their stand over the present unrest in the Darjeeling hills. “While everybody is holding the Morcha responsible for creating tension across the region, Congress and Trinamul leaders are silent just for a little political gain,” he said.

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

A rally brought out by the Nari Morcha in Darjeeling on Wednesday. (Suman Tamang)

Calcutta, Jan. 21: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today told a delegation of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) that they would have to place their demand for separate state at the tripartite meetings in Delhi.

“If the Morcha  continued to agitate, it would only vitiate the atmosphere of tripartite discussion. The chief minister told the delegation that whether or not the Gorkhaland movement was legitimate should be taken up at the Delhi level,” chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said after the meeting at Writers’ Buildings.

The seven-member Morcha  delegation, led by general secretary Roshan Giri, arrived for the talks at 6pm. The meeting continued for one hour and forty-five minutes. Those accompanying Giri were Asha Gurung, Amar Lama, Harka Bahadur Chhetri, Narden Lama, Pramita Gautam and Urmila Rumba.

Bhattacharjee asked the Morcha delegation not to hold any meeting or rallies in the Dooars, or Siliguri. “In the backdrop of the present situation in the Dooars, Malbazar and Siliguri, the chief minister asked Morcha  leaders not to hold meetings and rallies there. They have assured him of restraint for now,” said Chakrabarti.

Bhattacharjee also urged the Morcha  leaders to help restore normality in the hills and told them that the government would pay for the treatment of Morcha supporters injured in the recent incidents of violence.

“He (Bhattacharjee) told the delegation that no criminal activity like arson, injury to people and riots of communal nature would be tolerated,” the chief secretary said.

The government was also considering compensating people whose houses were fully or partly damaged in the clashes. The chief secretary, however, did not commit about any possible compensation package.

Home secretary Ardhendu Sen has been told to look into the “false” cases against Morcha supporters.

Earlier, emerging from the meeting, Giri, however, said they were sticking to their demand for Gorkhaland that would include Siliguri and the Terai and Dooars.

“We have made it very clear that Gorkhaland will comprise Siliguri and the Terai and Dooars and we will not budge an inch from our demand,” said Giri.

When reminded that the majority of population in Siliguri was Bengali speaking, Giri replied: “We have told the chief minister that there are a large number of Bangladeshi refugees and immigrants in Siliguri. First they should be tracked down and deported.”

The chief secretary said Bhattacharjee had asked the home secretary to look into the Morcha allegation.

“Peace gets a chance after days of violence between GJM supporters, tribals” Indian Express

Peace prospects got a fillip in North Bengal on Tuesday when after days of unremitting violence in Dooars, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) agreed to send a seven-member delegation to meet Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The chief minister had earlier extended an offer of talks with GJM leaders, but the outfit refused saying it was at the receiving end of the violence unleashed by “CPM-backed” tribals.

Meanwhile, the police thwarted a GJM bid to hold a pro-Gorkhaland rally in the strife-hit Dooars despite prohibitory orders. On January 16, a similar rally by the GJM had sparked violence between the outfit supporters and tribals, which spiralled further engulfing the entire region.

Special IG (Jalpaiguri Range) Zulfiqar Hasan said the GJM rally was stopped near Nean Glass tea estate. “The prohibitory orders are in place, and would be relaxed depending on the improvement in the situation,” he said.

On Tuesday, the GJM accepted the chief minister’s invitation for talks and its general secretary Roshan Giri said he would be leading the delegation on Wednesday. Morcha president Bimal Gurung was in favour of holding talks directly with Bhattacharjee in Darjeeling district, he added. “We will highlight the atrocities being perpetrated by CPM-backed Adivasi Vikas Parishad on our supporters. Our president wanted us to go and directly talk to the CM. The GJM has so far been speaking to the state home secretary and the Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner. But now, we will be talking to the CM to put forth our views,” Giri said.

Among the issues the Morcha wishes to bring up are the GJM’s right to organise rallies at all places in the plains such as the Dooars, Terai and Siliguri. “We will also demand compensation for supporters whose houses were ransacked and torched. The ABAVP supporters are ransacking the houses of local Nepalis, but the district administration is a mute spectator,” Giri said.

GJM president Bimal Gurung said in Kalimpong he would not go to Kolkata for the talks. He said the GJM would take out processions till the administration grants permission to hold a public meeting in Malbazar.

Meanwhile, during the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the chief minister said the Morcha should abide by the decision taken at the last month’s tripartite meeting in Delhi that there would be no demonstration in the Hills while the talks are in progress.

FROM THE STATESMAN

Jalpaiguri, Jan. 20: The  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Mr Bimal Gurung today said that his party would send a delegation to Kolkata following chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s letter urging for a peace dialogue in respect to the Dooars situation.

Although the GJM had imposed certain conditions for the meeting, its leadership today decided to send a seven-member delegation to Kolkata for the talks tomorrow. According to the GJM secretary Mr Roshan Giri, the delegation would include him, Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri, Mr Norden Lama, Mr Amar Lama Mrs Asha Gurung, Mrs Urmila Rumba and Mrs Nomita Goutam.

Mr Giri said that they would demand the right to organise public conventions in the Dooars. “The delegation would also talk about the harassment of our supporters by the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Bikash Parishad and other CPI-M sponsored organisations in Dooars over the last few days and claim compensation for the victims. The partial attitude of police would also be highlighted but we would not discuss the issue of Gorkhaland with the state government as it is the Centre, which would fulfill that demand,” Mr Giri said.

The president Mr Bimal Gurung said that they have faxed a detailed report to the Centre, describing the torture on their supporters. “Our Delhi based supporters are in contact with the Union ministers in this regard. We would not delete the Dooars from our proposed map,” Mr Gurung said.

Criticising the ABABP, the president said that it was an NGO working for the CPI-M. “We would discuss the matter with the Centre and demand cancellation of its registration. Several tribal people are with us and we all agree on the Gorkhaland demand,” the president said. Meanwhile, Amra Bangali demanded arrest of the GJM  chief Mr Bimal Gurung in the wake of the continuing violence in the Dooars.

Opposition hits out at CPM

Siliguri, Jan. 20: Several political parties welcomed the GJM’s decision to withdraw its Dooars agitation and sit with the chief minister to sort out the worsening ethnic tangle involving the tribals and the Nepali speaking population in the region. The Opposition, however, flayed the CPI-M for prodding an ethnic conflagration to serve its own electoral interests.

Most of the parties across the political spectrum today seemed relieved with the news that the agitating hill-based outfit had positively reciprocated the chief minister’s negotiation gesture. The Forward Bloc and the CPI leadership said that the GJM’s  positive gesture would help restore normalcy in the strife-torn Dooars. “Democracy does not mean license to go amok without considering other’s sentiments. We hope, the GJM   would shun the path of confrontation,” said the general secretary of the Forward Bloc Mr Debabrata Biswas and the state secretary of the CPI Mr Manju Kumar Majumder.

The leader of the Opposition and a senior Trinamul Congress leader, Mr Partha Chatterjee, however, held the CPI-M responsible for the growing ethnic tension in the Dooars. “We believe the CPI-M has been prodding an ethnic conflagration in the sensitive region with its eyes on the approaching Parliamentary election. My party would send a delegation to the Dooars soon to study the developing situation,” he said. Congress leader Mr Pradip Bhattacharya said that the CPI-M should give up its dubious “double standard” over a supra- sensitive ethnic issue. Speaking on the matter, the Suci state secretary Mr Prabhash Ghosh said that all the parties should tread a cautious path to bring down the tension in the Dooars. “The CPI-M, in particular, should stay away from fishing in troubled waters,” he said.