Gorkhaland some way off as govt insists on tripartite talks

NEW DELHI: Long-pending demand for creation of Gorkhaland out of West Bengal doesn’t seem to be fructifying anytime soon as the Centre is learnt to have insisted for any solution to the vexed issue only through the process of tripartite talks involving the state government, which has never been keen to grant statehood to the agitating Gorkhas.

The next tripartite meeting — the fourth in the series which began last year — will be held on December 21. Although Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) representatives — who met Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday amid new hope arising out of Telangana issue — were told that the talk process over the matter would end in a final solution, officials tracking the GJM’s affairs hinted that the result doesn’t seem to be in sight as neither the CPM-led state government nor the UPA’s ally Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress are in favour of statehood to Gorkhas.

The TMC has clearly stated that the party is against Gorkhaland.

“We are against statehood for Gorkhaland. But we are for more autonomy, more economic and financial assistance to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). Their administrative powers are not to be encroached upon,” said Sudip Bandopadhyay, party’s chief whip in Lok Sabha.

The Morcha, however, made it clear that the Gorkhas would not take rest until their demand is met. Its members have begun fast-unto-death at five places in Darjeeling hills and Dooars. They have also called a 96-hour shutdown beginning December 14 to press for their demand.