Morcha calls shutdown in March, will meet CM’s of states for support

Bullets will be fielded by the leaders, not people says Bimal

D.K. Waiba

Kalimpong Feb 17: Come March and the hills will go back to its old days. The culture of bandhs has returned back haunting the hills and if Bimal Gurung, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief is to be believed then its time for the tourists expecting to visit the hills can cancel their tickets along with hotel bookings.

The GJM once again showing its tirade against the Mamata Bannerjee led Trinamool government has called for a series of bandhs in March. Addressing his supporters in Mela ground today Gurung today called for a shutdown on March 14-15 followed by another on March 21-22. The party will shutdown all the government offices both under GTA and state government from March 9 to March 27.

Starting February 24 the GJM top leaders along with its frontal organization and study forum members will visit most of the other states in the country meeting chief ministers seeking support for a separate state of Gorkhaland. After the announced programmes gets over, Gurung said that the party will hold a similar meeting in Sukna in the outskirts and announce another round of future programmes. The Morcha is already holding torch rallies regularly in the three hill subdivision which will further continue.

Amidst all these whether the GJM that occupies the GTA with 45 seats is ready to quit and scrap the GTA as demanded by the anti-GJM parties in the hills was also clarified by Gurung. “The tenure of the GTA has not finished. The day its tenure gets over the new body will be scrapped automatically,” said Gurung.

Gurung’s clarification may not satisfy the opposition parties in the hills given that Gorkhaland and GTA cannot go parallely, a point cited by the anti parties regularly.

Gurung however speaking against the government told the gathering of about 15000 people that the police administration did not keep the traffic clear for more supporters to flock here. “The government is trying different ways to baffle our movement by applying police force and other means. The government in its divide and rule policy has been doing wrong by dividing the Lepchas and the Gorkhas. In the coming agitation now bullets will be fielded by the leaders and not the people,” said Gurung.