Domino effect hits Hills

This comes ahead of the tripartite talk between the West Bengal government,the Centre and the Morcha scheduled for December 21.

As the news of the Centre’s approval to the Telangana statehood demand broke on Wednesday night,fireworks illuminated the Hills.

Processions,candlelight rallies were taken out in different parts of the Hills as well in the plains of Siliguri and Dooars,which have substantial Gorkha population,on Thursday. The expectations of a “positive outcome” from the tripartite meeting have also grown among the Morcha leaders.

“The Centre’s decision has come as a great morale booster for us. Our agitation will now become more intense. Now,we will tell the Centre,‘If you can concede to the demand of Telangana why can’t you accept our legitimate demand of Gorkhaland’,” Roshan Giri,senior leader of the GJM,told The Indian Express.

But in Kolkata,the Centre’s announcement on Telangana has left the state government and the political parties apprehensive of the “stormy days” to come. Fully aware of the consequences of the Centre’s decision on Bengal,the government slammed the statehood status given to Telangana region. “The decision will give great impetus to the demands of separate state of Gorkhaland andKamtapur. We have repeatedly told the Centre not to do this but they are still doing it,” said Minister for Commerce and Industries Nirupam Sen.

The government,meanwhile,received reports that a four-member Morcha delegation,led by Roshan Giri,flew off to New Delhi on Thursday afternoon to hold parleys with different political parties as well as with the Union Home Ministry.

“There are similarities and differences between the situation in Telangana and Darjeeling. We will get to know about the attitude of the Morcha when we meet them on December 21,” said state Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen.

But Minister for Urban Development in the Left Front government,Ashok Bhattacharya,was more forthcoming in his reaction.

“I am dismayed. It will open a Pandora’s Box as the Centre will have to consider conferring statehood to several other regions clamouring for similar status. Of course,this will embolden the Morcha and they will now bargain hard for a separate state,” said Bhattacharya who hails from Siliguri.

“In West Bengal the Greater Cooch Behar People’s Committee,demanding a separate state of Kamtapur,will begin an agitation from tomorrow. How will one stop these?” he asked.

The state unit of the Congress party said it would not accept the demand of a separate Gorkhaland. “In the Krishnanagar declaration last week we have clearly said the solution of the Gorkha problem lies in implementing the 6th schedule of the Constitution for the Hills. It was made clear by our leader Pranab Mukherjee,” said Manas Bhuina,Congress Legislature Party leader.

The Trinamool,a constituent of the UPA government at the Centre,however,refrained from making any comment on the issue without consultation with its chief Mamata Banerjee. “The Gorkhaland problem is a creation of the CPM. But I don’t want to say anything more on this issue without consulting our leader,Mamata Banerjee,” said Partha Chatterjee,senior Trinamool leader.

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