Journalism of Courage
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM),which reimposed the indefinite shutdown in the Darjeeling hills on Sunday,trained its guns on the Centre for not acceding to its demand for a separate Gorkhaland state even as it accused the West Bengal government of playing dirty politics over the issue.
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When we signed the agreement for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA),the Centre had said they did not have the mandate to give us a state. The agreement was signed without the demand of Gorkhaland being dropped, GJM president Bimal Gurung said on Sunday while addressing a public rally in Darjeeling.
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Later in the day,Gurung wrote on social-networking website Facebook that since the Centre declared Telangana state within a year of the formation of GTA,it should also declare Gorkhaland. I will not entertain any other arrangement other than Gorkhaland, Gurung said.
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Gurungs statement came even as a seven-member GJM delegation reached Delhi to hold talks with various political parties and central ministers over the issue. On Monday,we will meet BJP MP from Darjeeling Jaswant Singh and former MP K B Chhetri. Thereafter that we will chalk out our future plan, said GJM MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri.
