Morcha set for Central committee meet, agitation may be called off

NBS Times Report

Darjeeling March 7: Government employees in the hills caught between different decisions one from Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s (GJM) call for a shutdown of the government offices beginning Saturday and the other from the state government that has ordered no work no pay may have the opportunity to take a sigh of relief if central committee meeting of the GJM slated to be held tomorrow will decided to call off the agitation.

The Morcha said that the parties delegation expected to reach the hills tomorrow will hold a meeting in the Kurseong sub-division tomorrow itself to discuss withdrawl of the agitation. “A central committee meeting of the party will be held in the Kurseong subdivision tomorrow and decide on the future course of action,” said Binay Tamang, the Morcha Assistant General Secretary.

The meeting may well decide to withdraw given the central leadership of the Congress urging the Morcha delegation headed by Bimal Gurung to call off the agitation and assuring that the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) would not be fund less. The Morcha, observers said may also withdraw the agitation at the wake of the state government sending one platoon of Rapid Action Force and two platoons of Indian reserve Force that reached Darjeeling this evening.

However, if the Morcha decides to withdraw the agitation the government employees in the hills can breathe a huge sigh of relief. The Morcha has called a complete shut down of the government offices starting March 9 and ending on March 27. The employees have been holding meeting since yesterday to decide on the dilemma.

“We will abide by the GJM decision to call the bandh. But we cannot deny the state governments order too. The dilemma so far seems to get no solution,” said a government employee on condition of anonymity.

Another added, “We will have to send daily report every day to the higher officials. Both the state government and GJM are imposing things on us. Whom should we listen”.

The Morcha delegation today met the union finance minister P.Chidambaram in Delhi who also requested the delegates to withdraw the agitation. “The Finance Minister has assured more funds to the GTA,” said Roshan Giri, the Morcha General Secretary.

The party has also called for a shutdown of the hills on March 14-15 and March 21-22. Earlier following a high court order, the party called of their agitation of a series of public meetings to be conducted by the womens wing. The high court had banned the public meetings until the ongoing board examinations.