Darjeeling Braces For Turmoil As Gorkha Group Calls For Shutdown

Asia

After violence on Thursday and a 12-hour shutdown on Friday, things in Darjeeling are yet to take a turn for the better. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Saturday called for an indefinite shutdown of all government offices in the hills from Monday, including the office of the district's police chief and collector. Morcha chief Bimal Gurung also wrote to the Union Home Minister demanding a separate state: Gorkhaland.

Schools, colleges, hotels, transport, shops, markets, businesses will all stay open. Banks will open two days a week, Mondays and Thursdays. The Morcha has also called an all-party meeting on Tuesday.

Bandhs are illegal and there will be no compromise with bombs and lathis, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said before the Morcha's latest announcement. She has not spoken since. Trinamool district chief Gautam Deb said, "Morcha has declared a war on Darjeeling's people."

Having left the troubled hills of Darjeeling on Saturday night after Thursday's sudden violent outburst, Mamata Banerjee had just landed in Kolkata around 5 pm when Bimal Gurung struck. After a Morcha meeting, it virtually said Mamata Banerjee's writ will no longer run in Darjeeling.

"Bimal Gurung has written to Rajnath Singh today demanding Gorkhaland and detailing the complete high handedness of the Bengal government, its atrocities on us," said Morcha leader Roshan Giri.

"Also, he has said the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration or GTA is a failure. We don't want it anymore," he added.

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The Morcha, however, clearly wants to keep Darjeeling's bread and butter unaffected. So, there is going to be no shutdown for tourists who suffered on Friday's bandh. All hotels will stay open, also schools and shops. And banks - at least two days a week.

Ms Banerjee not made any comment after the latest announcement. But this afternoon warned of tough action against the Morcha. "We have compromised so much, our backs are to the wall. We can't compromise any more with bombs and lathis. The law will take its own course," she said. "Bandhs are illegal and the administration will take necessary steps."

Her party chief in Darjeeling district, Gautam Deb, called the Morcha's announcement "a Talibani fatwa" and said it would not be tolerated. Darjeeling MP, BJP's SS Ahluwalia met Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi.

The trigger for the latest face off - a war of words over the chief minister's Bengali-must policy. After announcing it, she has said, Bengali will not be a must in Darjeeling. But the Morcha wanted it in writing and did not get it.

As a result, the Army is patrolling the hills of Darjeeling like it did in the 1980s, the Gorkhaland issue is back on the front burner and the Morcha is beginning to implement an ominous policy. All signboards in Darjeeling will now be written in Nepali only. And English at best.

The Morcha has also chalked out detailed plans to step up the Gorkhaland movement. Every Monday, across the hills, people will hold torch rallies from 7 to 8 pm and signatures will be collected demanding statehood.

Source: ndtv