Kolkata : West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee urged the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), the principal political party in Darjeeling hills to immediately withdraw the indefinite shutdown in the hills. The West Bengal government on Tuesday convened the second round of all party meeting to break the impasse in Darjeeling hills in the north Bengal branch of state secretariat – Uttarkanya.
The GJM is on an indefinite bandh in the hills demanding creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland from June 12. This has severely affected the region’s economy based on tea gardens and tourism. Due to the indefinite band and violent incidents in the region, properties worth Rs 600 crores have been lost in the hills, according to the report of the state government.
After the first meeting convened by the state government in Nabanna, the state secretariat on August 29, two GJM leaders Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa had announced withdrawal of the shutdown till September 12. But the GJM president Bimal Gurung challenged both Tamang and Thapa and suspended them from the party.
“We want peace to be restored immediately in the hills. In democracy all problems should be settled through discussion and dialogue,” Mamata Banerjee told news person after the meeting.
Though GJM president Bimal Gurung who had threatened that if Gorkhaland issue was not discussed in the all party meeting representatives of his party would stage a walk out.
But in Tuesday’s meeting the Gorkhaland issue was not discussed, but two GJM MLAs remained present in the meeting with Binay Tamang, suspended chief coordinator of the party. The representatives of all the major political parties participated in the meeting.
