Tripartite talks begin today

Union Home Secretary G K Pillai will lead the five-member Central team while the state government will be represented by Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty,Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen,Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh and Darjeeling District Magistrate Surendra Gupta.

The GJM has declared that it would not budge “an inch from its demand for Gorkhaland statehood”. “We will go to the tripartite talks on a one-point agenda of Gorkhaland. We will discuss Gorkhaland only and nothing else,” said GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri,adding that the GJM is not interested in discussing issues like granting of more autonomy to the Hills.

In response,state Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said: “Gorkhaland will be discussed if it comes up and that

it had also been discussed in the earlier talks.”

“More power and autonomy could be given. But we are not thinking of a separate state,” he added.

Giri,meanwhile,added that the GJM has asked the hill people to wear traditional dresses on Sunday and Monday to show that “Darjeeling has nothing in common with West Bengal”.

A GJM rally on Sunday,therefore,saw all the Hill residents decked in their traditional dauras,sauruwals and Hill caps. Festoons and flags with the message “Welcome to Gorkhaland” dotted the city today. “People have been requested to wear dresses belonging to our tradition. We have to show those coming from the Centre that we have no similarity with Bengal,” Giri said.

GJM president Bimal Gurung,meanwhile,warned that if the talks fail,the party would resume its fast-unto-death on December 22.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee hoped the issue could be resolved through dialogue,but warned: “If anyone is arrogant on their demand and not flexible enough,the situation may get critical.” Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) K L Tamta,however,assured that sufficient arrangements had been made to maintain law and order.

The last tripartite meeting was held on August 11 when the Centre agreed to abolish the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and work for setting up an alternative administrative framework in the Hills.

—With PTI inputs

Buddha rules out Gorkhaland state

RANIGANJ:Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday said the state government was in no mood to concede a separate Gorkhaland as the common people there “will not be benefitted by any means”.

“The common people in Darjeeling will suffer in such a small state. They will not be benefited and it is for this reason that we are against the creation of Gorkhaland,” Bhattacharjee told a meeting organised by CITU. PTI