A “rough and tough” Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday directed the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to lift the indefinite Darjeeling bandh in 72 hours’ time or face “strong action” drawing instant reaction from the Hill outfit which laughed off the warning and issued a counter-ultimatum asking her to recant her words or deal with a “janta curfew.”
Banerjee who had till the other day bragged about how the “Hills are smiling” post signing of the GTA accord launched into the GJM leadership for “fanning sub-national sentiments to bake its own political bread” and said “enough is enough we have tolerated this bandh for eight days and will not take it anymore. I am very rough and tough about that.”
She warned “We allow no bandh or blockades in Bengal. We give another 72 hours time to these bandhwallahs to bring back normalcy in the interest of peace, in the interest of the people of Darjeeling, in the interest of Bengal and in the interest of development or else we will be forced to take strong action.”
Swearing by a High Court order the Chief Minister thundered “Bengal cannot be divided on racial grounds” adding “we have to abide by our constitutional obligations. The High Court has termed the bandh unconstitutional and so has the Supreme Court. We again request them not to force us to take strong action.”
She even warned of appointing a GTA chairman in three days’ time if the strike was not withdrawn. GJM chief Bimal Gurung had before calling the strike in support of Gorkhaland --- linking his demand to Centre’s declaration of a separate Telangana State --- resigned from the post of GTA chairman.
While the Chief Minister prescribed strong action to help the Hills smile once again pushing Gurung to a corner (because if he submits to the ultimatum he is sure to lose his political pre-eminence in the Hills to other parties like GNlF or CPRM) the GJM chief went on a counter-offensive asking Banerjee to withdraw her statement by Monday or face a “Janta Curfew.”
He said “Mamata Banerjee is not talking like a Chief Minister. We will not only continue the strike but will declare a janta curfew (public curfew) where no one will come out of his residence if she does not retrace her statements.”
He warned “if the Government unleashes police and CRPF against us then there will be bloodshed in the Hills for which the Chief Minister will be held responsible. We are ready to face bullets let them do whatever they want.”
Gurung added the “fight is between GJM and the Centre and not with Mamata Banerjee but if she wants to clamp down on us she is free to do so but before that she will have to brand us as Chinese, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis or Nepalese.”It was a question of identity and not development he iterated. “If they can give Telangana then why not GorkhalandIJ he wondered.
On appointment of GTA chairman Gurung said his party would move the court if the Government took such step before a month’s time. “We still have a month’s time as per laws” he said. Meanwhile, Opposition left, Congress and the BJP urged peaceful negotiations of the issue through dialogue.
While CPI(M) leader Ashok Bhattacharya said “dialogue is the only way to thrash out the difference, PCC president Pradip Bhattacharya maintained “all sides should show restraint.” He also called for all-party meeting to solve the crisis. BJP’s Tathagato Roy said “all sides should refrain from making extreme statements in the interest of peace.”