Morcha to write to govt - Hill party’s response and court barb

Darjeeling, March 25: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has said it will tomorrow reply to a letter written by Bengal chief secretary Sanjay Mitra seeking its co-operation for smooth running of the GTA. Morcha sources said party president Bimal Gurung had directed general secretary Roshan Giri to write the letter which will be faxed to the chief secretary’s office tomorrow. “The contents (of the letter) will be made available to the media only after the letter is faxed,” Giri said over the phone from Kalimpong this evening. The hill party’s decision to write to the officials comes after Mitra wrote to Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, also the chief executive of GTA Sabha, seeking co-operation to administer the autonomous body. The letter, written on February 27, reached Lal Khoti, the GTA headquarters, on March 19. Mitra’s letter reached the Morcha after all communication channels between the GTA and the state government had snapped. Although the content of the letter was not known, a Morcha source said: “One of the issues highlighted in the letter is with regard to the withdrawal of cases (against Morcha supporters).” The state government was to review 382 cases filed against Morcha activists in the four-year-long Gorkhaland agitation period. Earlier, Giri had said state home secretary Basudeb Banerjee had agreed to withdraw 150 cases in 10 days at a review meeting in Delhi on December 26, 2012. But that was not done. Observers believe the Morcha is bound to highlight its grievances on the alleged interference of the state in the working of the GTA in the letter. “With all communications between the Morcha and the state government snapped over the past two months, the Morcha leadership had no option but to write to the government. The party has understood that despite differences, it cannot ignore the state to ensure that the GTA functions smoothly,” said an observer. Morcha chief Bimal Gurung on Monday said his party would complete its five-year term in the GTA and also fight for a separate state despite the alleged efforts of the state to undermine its functioning. “I had thought of quitting the GTA, but my mind was not working well. I now know that it is those who call themselves rough and tough want to ensure that GTA is a failure after realising that we have not given up on our demand for Gorkhaland even after accepting the GTA,” he said at Dalapchand, 12km from Kalimpong. Share on email Share on print Share on facebook Share on twitter More Sharing Services