The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s “strong resilience” seemed to flounder before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “strong action” even as party president Bimal Gurung relaxed his indefinite Darjeeling bandh for at least five days, including the Independence Day without even announcing whether he would resume the strike afterwards.
Protesting the Chief Minister’s 72-hour-ultimatum to withdraw the strike, Gurung quickly hid behind a High Court order declaring bandhs illegal and said there would be no bandh between August 15 and August19, “respecting the High Court ruling.”
“We will decide future course of action after an all-party meeting on August 16” party leader Roshan Giri said adding in a meeker voice that “in any case the demand for a separate Gorkhaland would continue.”
He however ensured the two-day “janta curfew” beginning Tuesday with no citizen coming out of their houses in protest against the threats issued by the Chief Minister.
Banerjee had followed up her threat of “strong action” by arrests even as more than 200 GJM activists including senior leaders and GTA councillors thrown behind the bar. As many as 30 people were arrested on Tuesday the 11th day of the badh that would last till Wednesday.
Gurung wrote on Facebook that the agitation would continue and sought the people’s opinion on bandh. “We will let the people know our plans on the 16th” he wrote adding “the GJM will continue to exercise their freedom of expression, speech and will assemble peacefully to press for their demand for Gorkhaland” even as the Chief thundered once again from the Writers’ that she would allow no bandh or blockade.
Curiously sources from Darjeeling said Gurung — fearing a general discontent in the wake of food scarcity — had misread the people’s mind in relaxing the bandh as locals resented the step questioning GJM’s resolve.
Meanwhile, to whether all the GJM members would resign from the GTA following in the footsteps of Gurung who earlier quit his post as the Chairman, he said: “The decision would be taken at an appropriate time and in the interests of the people and the cause of Gorkhaland.”