Lepcha Fast: protesters toll reaches 700

Gurung urges to call off fast, get ready for agitation

Feb 8: Political dynamics that has loomed the Darjeeling district over the past week continued to keep the region in a deep uncertainty. More than 700 Lepchas under the Lepcha Rights Movement committee joined the fast unto death stir in Kalimpong started since yesterday triggered by the cabinet nod to establish a Lepcha Development council for the community that has been fighting for its cultural rebirth since the past many years.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung speaking at Sibchu in the Dooars area urged the Lepcha protesters to call off the fast saying that his party does not have any grudge with the community. “Instead our fight is with the Mamata lead state government for a separate state. The GTA has been working for the development of Lepcha culture, tradition and upliftment,” said Gurung.

Gurung and top leaders paid homage to the martyrs who died in February 8 police firing while agitating for Gorkhaland. Five people had died during the incident. The GJM, Gurung added will hold a massive rally in Kalimpong on February 17 indicating that he might also resign from the GTA on that very day.

Lepchas on the other hand stuck to their grievances and reiterated that they do not want the formation of the council to be politicized. “The call for a strike and political comments has hurt the community. It is better we rather die than live in situation where political interferences hamper the development of our people,” said N.T.Lepcha, the convenor of the Lepcha Rights movement.

“We neither have any demand nor any suggestion to any political parties and governments. The fast unto death to show the sentiment that we have in the formation of the council,” he added.

The indigenous Lepchas that have its population dense in the Kalimpong subdivision have no territory demand. The agitators yesterday had numbered around 70 that rosed to 700 this morning with youths from the community flocking in from different part of the hills.

Observers feel that the cabinet nod to form the council at a time when the GJM has come out deciding to start a fresh agitation for Gorkhaland was not a right decision. The Morcha now has threatened to file a suit against the decision in the Supreme Court. The party that enjoys all 45 seats in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) feels that the state government is plying a ‘divide & rule’ policy to defy the Gorkhaland demand by forming the council. As a mark of protest against the decision the GJM has called for a general strike in the three hill subdivision tomorrow.

Gurung yet again reminding the March 10 deadline asked the people to get ready for the next phase of agitation. “The next phase of the agitation will be announced on March 10. Till then the people of the hills should be ready,” he said. Gurung and his top leaders visited the Dooars area for the first time in sixth months given the situation that the Dooars mouzas were not included in the GTA.

Observers today opined that Morcha’s visit to the Dooars is also a game plan being set to woo the Nepali speaking people in the area for their support to the fresh agitation. Ironically, the John Barla led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in the Dooars has consented not to support the Gorkhaland demand but is willing to fight the panchayat polls.

Later tonight sources added that the state government is looking for a chance to open a dialogue with the Morcha leadership to calm down the political dynamics for which Gautam Deb, the North Bengal Development minister has been entrusted by the state government.