With Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cracking the whip on pro-Gorkhaland agitators, GJM chief Bimal Gurung has conceded that he is on the back foot yet iterating that there would be no let-up in his party’s demand for a separate State.
Apparently to circumvent the Calcutta High Court order that put a “bandh” and “janta curfew” in the same bracket, the GJM leadership on Friday said the people of Darjeeling would observe ghar bhitrey (keep indoors) movement to blunt the “mindless coercion and oppression of the State administration that has put hundreds of our innocent supporters behind the bars.”
The new movement would start post-August 19 when the four-day relaxation of the indefinite bandh would come to an end, the leaders said.
Decrying the State Government for “trying to crush a democratic and non-violent movement,” Gurung said, “Mamata Banerjee is getting an edge because she has the power of gun on her side with which she is trying to bulldoze the masses of Darjeeling. But such terror tactic may become successful for some time but it will not be successful for all the time because situation can change in a moment.”
Gurung said the people of the Hills continued to “remain by our side as it can be seen from the fact that they refused the ration provided by the Government but accepted those distributed by us.”
A senior GJM leader said, “People would remain gharer bhitrey or indoors to pledge their support for a non-cooperation-non-violent movement for a separate Gorkhaland State,” adding “the party would also take up a Rakhi Bandhan movement followed by forming a human chain throughout the Hills and the Plains in support of our demand and against the repressive policy of this Government.”
Earlier adjudicating on a PIl, the High Court had ordered any kind of bandh illegal and unconstitutional and ruled a bandh and a public curfew called by the GJM early this week as same.
On the question of mediation by State Governor MK Narayanan, party leader HB Chetri said there was “no problem in talking to the Governor and we will go to talk if invited by the Governor.”