To End Darjeeling Crisis, Centre May Urge Mamata to Give Gorkha Council More Powers

Darjeeling : The Centre is considering amending the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) accord and giving the council more power as it tries to explore the middle path to solve the Darjeeling crisis. Sources said the union home ministry is working on convincing the West Bengal government and leaders of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) to sit for a tripartite meeting. Speaking to News18, a senior state BJP leader said, “When GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri came and met our party president Dilip Ghosh, it was discussed that separate state of Gorkhaland is not possible.

 Even BJP’s manifesto has hinted towards some amicable solution and not mentioned anything about a separate state.” “In 2009 and in 2014, our manifesto clearly mentioned that it will sympathetically examine and appropriately consider the long-pending demands of the Gorkhas, the Adivasis and other people of Darjeeling district and the Dooars region. Nowhere was the formation of a separate state mentioned,” the party leader said, adding that a formula will be worked out not just for the Gorkhas but also for the Adivasis and other groups.

 The BJP leader further said that even the GJM top brass is aware that a separate state is not possible right now and the fight is to get more power, making it run almost parallel to the state government. This is only possible through amendments in the existing GTA accord. “The central government is trying to convince Bengal government for some amendments in the exiting GTA accord. Some GJM leaders also stressed for Union Territory status if not a separate state. These possible solutions are in early stage but our stand is very clear – no division of Bengal,” the leader said.

 (Via News 18)