The Hindu Business Line : Gorkha chief threatens ‘walkout’ on statehood demand

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief, Mr Bimal Gurung, has warned of a ‘walkout’ if the upcoming tripartite talks between the GJM, the Centre and the West Bengal Government do not focus on the Gorkhaland statehood demand.

Talking to Business Line at the Morcha office in Patlebas in Darjeeling, Mr Gurung said that it was Gorkhaland and nothing less than that.

“If Gorkhaland is not part of the agenda, we will walk out of the meeting. For 22 years the West Bengal Government did not talk about the development of Darjeeling, so what does it want to prove by talking about it now? We will not settle for anything less than Gorkhaland,” the GJM chief said.

“Gorkhaland is a demand for our identity and no other points will be discussed apart from this,” he added.

The GJM chief was responding to the West Bengal Minister, Mr Asok Bhattacharya’s statement that the ‘Gorkhaland’ demand will not be discussed in the upcoming tripartite talks.

Last Sunday, Mr Bhattacharya had said that alternatives to the Gorkhaland issue would be raised by the West Bengal Government during the talks, one of them being more development of the Darjeeling Hills.

Asked for his expectations on the tripartite talks, Mr Gurung said he could not say anything now, and added that there would be more talks in the future. He reiterated his party’s claim that Gorkhaland would come into being by 2010.

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