Aware that their movement for a separate State of Gorkhaland was heading nowhere Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung could soon tread a path shown by his onetime mentor-turned-political foe Subas Ghising the GNlF leader now banished to Siliguri.
like Ghising did in the mid eighties to make his voice heard in Delhi and Kolkata Gurung could soon resort to blockading timber and tea the two major items exported from the Hills. The two items, apart from tourism form the backbone of North Bengal economy and could hit Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and his Government hard in term of economics.
Backing the contention of Enos Das Pradhan the chairman of Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee an all-party conglomeration Gurung said, “The people of the Hills are thinking in terms of bigger movement that could involve decisions with some kind of economic effect.” He added the party could also go in for blockading of timber and tea that accounts for Rs 1500 crore-plus business.
“The Government is not listening to a legitimate demand. When they can give Telengana why cannot they give Gorkhaland which is an older demandIJ We are culturally, linguistically, socially, historically and geographically different from Bengal,” Gurung said. Gurung’s statement came on a day when the people of Darjeeling kept indoors responding to the GJM’s call for “ghar bhitrai janata (people inside houses).” This even as baffled security forces wandered aimlessly on streets not knowing whom to take action against.
Giving yet another tweak to the movement the GJM has called for “ghar bairai janata (people on the streets) on Tuesday.” “We will protest on the streets as we want to make our voice heard in various ways” he said adding however that the party would not indulge in enforcing any kind of bandh by picketing or blockade. “We will not go for picketing and blockade and left it upon the people to take their decisions.”
Meanwhile the left leadership on Monday lambasted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for slamming the doors on GJM after reported mollycoddling the Hill outfit before the elections “for narrow political gains.” Accusing the Chief Minister of “playing with fire” State Opposition Surya Kanto Mishra said “she has no grasp of the Hill politics which is characteristically different from Jangalmahal where some initial economic packages can win panchayat elections.”
Banerjee was ignoring the ethnic problem in Darjeeling, he said wondering why the Chief Minister was making it a prestige issue. “She should try to open dialogue route before the Hills go out of control.” He said Banerjee first wooed the GJM for her own “petty political needs” and after achieving her goal she was “now when they are claiming their share after Telengana she is sending forces in Darjeeling. This is like playing with fire and she should desist from doing this. She should open the dialogue route with the GJM.”
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