15 days strike deferred till 7th February, Interim Setup rejected.. GJM offer to CPM

KalimNews (Mukesh Sharma and agencies) 27 January: GJM delegation after arriving from Delhi in the late afternoon put the information discussed in the talks with the Home Minister and Center during a meeting held today at Kumani where all the central committee members of GJM were present along with the Party president Bimal Gurung. In the meeting of the party the GRA formula of interim setup was rejected by the party. Disclosing the resolution of the Committee Dr Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Roshan Giri spoke to media in the evening informing the decision of the party. 
The delegation were not welcomed as before and the party workers were seen more grave before the meeting of the meeting.

Giri said that the proposed 15 days strike to commence from 29 January was also postponed till 7 February. But from 29 January 24 hour's relay hunger strike of 7 members on each day in the subdivisional headquarters and BDO's Office premises the Long March- Dooars Padyatra will be in force in the Hills and Dooars. Meanwhile another meeting is scheduled on 28 January in Kumani.

People were relieved to hear the postponement of the strike as well as GJM is sticked to its demand of Gorkhaland. Opposition parties too welcomed the decision of the party.

Interim setup rejected

Roshan Giri (right) and Harka Bahadur Chhetri at Bagdogra airport on Thursday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Vivek Chetri and Rajeev Ravidas, TT, Darjeeling/Kalimpong, Jan. 27: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today rejected the “idea of interim set-up” apparently because the Centre had plans to draw up the proposal afresh against the wishes of the party.

The Morcha also suspended its ongoing shutdown from January 29 to February 7 and instead, will hold hunger strikes at different government offices in the hills during the period.

The latest stand by the Morcha could throw the hills into a fresh turmoil as the interim set-up was being seen as a mutually accepted arrangement that could bring about peace in the region for two years.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Morcha central committee at Kumani. A five-member Morcha delegation which had held talks with Union home minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi on January 25 briefed the committee on the meeting. The delegation was led by general secretary Roshan Giri.

“We deliberated on the home minister’s statement that the interim set-up was a step towards attaining Gorkhaland. The idea of interim set-up was rejected by the party,” said Giri today.

It is not clear why the party has rejected the interim arrangement. Sources, however, said the Morcha leadership was peeved that the Centre wanted to draw up a fresh proposal on the interim set-up which was mooted till December 31, 2011.

“Since there were differences between the state and the Morcha on some issues, the Centre wanted to moot a final proposal. This was conveyed to the Morcha during the Delhi talks,” said a source.

Although major points of difference are not fully known, some of the thorny issues were the transfer of tauzi department (which keeps land records) and transfer of legislative powers to the new body.

The Centre also wanted the Bengal government and the Morcha to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the set-up by the first week of February, though the arrangement was to be put in place after the Bengal assembly elections.

Observers believe that the Morcha was unlikely to have any problems with the signing of the MoU before February but were not comfortable with the interim authority that is not in accordance with the terms set by the party.

“The central committee meeting has rejected the interim set-up. There might have been a division between hardliners and moderates in the party. The hardliners perhaps want that the party should not be seen as too willing to go in for the interim set-up before a final call is made on the Telangana issue,” said an observer.

With the larger issue of the interim set-up being taken off its agenda, the Morcha has decided to change its mode of agitation. The party has suspended the ongoing general strike from Saturday till February 7 and has decided to start 24-hour relay hunger strikes.

“Seven Morcha members each will sit on 24-hour relay hunger strikes from January 29 to February 7 at block and subdivisional offices and in front of the district magistrate’s office. The fast will provide moral support to the president for the padayatra,” said Giri.
मोर्चाको केन्द्रिय कमिटीको बहुमतद्वारा अन्तरिम प्राधिकरण खारेज
29 देखि 7 फरवरीसम्म रिले अनशन हुनेः बन्द 7 फरवरीसम्म स्थगित
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ,27 जनवरी: मोर्चाले आजदेखि अन्तरिम प्राधिकरणको मुद्दा पूर्णरूपले खारेज गरेको छ। मोर्चाको केन्द्रिय कमिटीको बहुमतले अन्तरिम प्राधिकरणलाई बैठकमा सोझै खारेज गरेपछि मोर्चाले यो घोषणा गरेको छ। गृहमन्त्री पी. चिदम्बरमसित वार्ता गरेर फर्किएको टोली आज सोझै कुमानी पगेको थियो। कुमानीमा नै मोर्चाको केन्द्रय कमिटीको बैठक भयो। लगभग तीनघण्टा मोर्चाको केन्द्रिय कमिटीका सदस्यहरूबीच विभिन्न विषयमा छलफल भएको थियो भने मूल विषय भने अन्तरिम प्राधिकरण नै रहेको थियो। दिल्लीबाट सोझै मोर्चा महासचिव रोशन गिरी, प्रवक्ता डा.हर्कबहादुर छेत्री,डा. रोहित शर्मा अनि मोर्चाको स्टडी फोरमका सदस्य एलबी परियार कुमानी पुगेका थिए भने विमल गुरूङ लगायत मोठ 63 जना केन्द्रिय कमिटीका सदस्यहरूबीच बैठक भएको थियो। दिल्लीबाट रोशन गिरीले अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङलाई सम्पूणर्र् रिपोर्ट राखेको थियो भने वैठकमा मूल विषय अन्तरिम प्राधिकरण रहेको थियो। मोर्चाको केन्द्रिय कमिटीको बहुमतले नै अन्तरिम प्राधिकरणलाई सोझै खारेज गरेको कारण यसै बैठकबाट मोर्चाले पूर्णरूपले अन्तरिम प्राधिकरणको च्याप्टर क्लोज गरेको छ। वैठकपछि महासचिव रोशन गिरीले पत्रकारहरूलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै भने, हामीले दिल्लीवार्ताको सम्पूर्ण रिपोर्ट अध्यक्ष समक्ष राख्यौं। चिदम्बरमले राज्य सरकारलाई अन्तरिम प्राधिकरणको निम्ति मनाइसकेको अनि देशको परिस्थितिलाई ध्यानमा राख्दै गोर्खाल्याण्डको मुद्दालाई असर नगरी दुइवर्षको निम्ति प्राधिकरण चलाउने अनुरोध गरेका थिए। जसको निम्ति ड्राफ्ट बनाउने सहमति पनि दिइएको थियो तर केन्द्रिय कमिटीको बहुमतले नै अन्तरिम प्राधिकरणको मुद्दालाई सोझै खारेज गरेकोले आजदेखि यो मुद्दालाई सधैँको निम्ति अन्त गरिएको छ। तिनले उप्रान्त गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति आन्दोलन हुने जनाउँदै मोर्चा अध्यक्षको डुवर्स यात्रालाई बल पुर्‍याउन मोर्चाले अघिबाट नै घोषणा गरेको बन्दको कार्यक्रमलाई 7 फरवरीसम्मको निम्ति स्थगित गरिएको जनाए। तिनले विमल गुरूङको शान्ति यात्रालाई सफल बनाउनकै निम्ति 29 जनवरीदेखि 7 फरवरीसम्म प्रस्तावित गोर्खाल्याण्ड क्षेत्रमा  नै 24 घण्टे रिले अनशन शुरू हुने जनाएका छन्‌। अनशनमा मोर्चाका विभिन्न भातृसङ्गठनका सातसात सदस्यीय टोलीले अंशग्रहण गर्ने भएको छ। गिरीले पहाड़, तराई, डुवर्समा हुने रिले अनशन सम्पूर्ण खण्ड कार्यलय अघि गरिने बताएका छन्‌। यता मोर्चा प्रवक्ता डा. हर्कबहादुर छेत्रीले जनाए अनुसार भोलिदेखि  विमल गुरूङले कुमानीबाट पदयात्रा शुरू गर्नेछन्‌। तिनले भने, अब प्राधिकरण रिजेक्ट गरिएको छ। यसकारण सोझै गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति कार्यक्रम हुनेछ। विमल गुरूङको पदयात्रा भोलिदेखि शुरू हुनेछ। तिनलाई व्यारिकेट तोड़ेर यात्रा गरिनेछ? भन्ने प्रश्न गर्दा भने, अघिबाट नै अल्टिमेटम दिइसकेको छ। अल्टिमेटमलाई महत्व दिइएको छैन प्रशासनद्वारा। तोड़ेर नै अघि बढ्न सक्छ। उता आज विमल गुरूङले 28 न.समष्टीका तीनैवटा जोनका सदस्यहरूलाई लिएर दिउँसो बैठक गरेको थियो। बैठकमा गुरूङले प्रत्येक जोनबाट 50 जनाको टोलीले कुमानीमा नै क्याम्प हालेर बस्ने निर्देश गरिएको छ। 
Gurung snipes at CPM with vote offer
TT, Jalpaiguri, Jan. 27: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has offered votes to the CPM in the coming Assembly polls and wanted to know what the hills will get in return, while telling the Centre that Gorkhaland and Telangana should be created on the same day.
Morcha chief Bimal Gurung also said party supporters stopped at Kumani by police were running out of patience and they might break barricades to enter the Dooars.
“Let Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Asok Bhattacharya come and sit at the table and talk to us. Let them tell me how many votes they need (in the assembly elections) from me. We will ask them what they will give us (Morcha) in return,” Gurung said at a public meeting at Kumani yesterday.
“The 2011 Assembly elections are imminent. We do not care who becomes the chief minister, then, we just want Gorkhaland.”
Gurung and thousands of Morcha workers have been camping at Kumani on the edge of the Dooars since January 19 when they were prevented from proceeding with a padayatra to Jaigaon. The rally that started at Gorubathan was scheduled to pass through the Dooars.
But police erected barricades at Kumani and clamped down prohibitory orders in the Dooars.
The Morcha chief pulled up both the Centre and the state on the outcome of the talks with Union home minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi January 25. “Both of them should understand that they will be wrong if they think they can distract me by offering me lollipops. The day Telangana’s statehood is announced, we should get Gorkhaland also,” he said.
In a veiled threat, Gurung said the state government was using the police to push him and his supporters into the forests (near Kumani) and its consequences would not be palatable.
“Once the animals living in the forests enter human habitation, they can be dangerous. Our padayatra is undertaken in a democratic manner. I do not know for how many days more I will stay on the other side of the police barricade by following the laws in force. I cannot contain the simmering rage of my supporters and I do not know how long I will be able to keep them under control.
Two die in boat capsize
TT, Jalpaiguri, Jan. 27: Two persons died and three were missing after a boat carrying picnickers capsized because of overload on the Teesta near Tatgaon yesterday.
While the body of six-year-old Bindiya Onraon was recovered yesterday evening, Bandhu Onraon’s body was fished out from water this morning. Sources said Bindiya’s sisters, Aslina, 12, Sabina, 9, and Sabita, 10, are missing.
According to the sources, 50 people from Tatgaon, 80km from here, went for a picnic on the bank of the river yesterday morning. When the group reached the Teesta, they found a boat on the bank but there was no boatman.
One of the members of the team, 52-year-old Bandhu, volunteered to steer the boat to the picnic spot on the other side of the river. The group was ferried in three trips.
While returning around 4pm, 20 people, including the sisters, got on to the boat that Bandhu was steering, and the others managed to get another boat with a boatman to ferry them back to the village.
Dilip Bhumij and Somra Maji, who were with Bindiya’s father Jagadish Onraon on the other boat, said when the boat Bandhu was steering reached the midstream it suddenly lost balance and overturned because of a heavy current and excess weight. Maji said there were 20 people on the boat that could accommodate only 10-12.
After the boat overturned, 15 people swam to safety, but five persons, including the four sisters and Bandhu, went missing. Some of the picnickers on the other boat jumped into the river immediately and started a search.
Around 5pm, Bindiya’s body was recovered. The search operation could not be continued after that because of darkness.
Local people resumed the search this morning but they could not carry on because armymen were practising firing drill at the Bagrakote base camp along the river.
However, following the intervention of the district administration, the drill was suspended and the rescue operation began again around 12.30pm. Police said the search would be conducted 7km downstream the spot of the accident.”