Siliguri
21 Sep 2013
Noted academician Mahendra P Lama today
held an interactive session at the Mangal Maity Bhawan in Darjeeling
More where he stressed on the need for education.
Lama was directing his words towards GJM
chief Bimal Gurung who has called on students to lead the statehood
agitation. He said a Gorkhaland would not be achieved even in 40 years’
time if students are involved in politics and agitations, adding they
should first be highly educated so as to be able to make crucial
decisions for the entire community.
The academician pointed out the fact
that there are only a handful of IAS and IPS officers from the Gorkha
community and their numbers should increase. He also slammed Darjeeling
MP Jashwant Singh for keeping mum when Trinamool MPs caused a furore
against the statehood demand in Parliament last month and that the
legislator should have undertaken a hunger strike during the shutdown in
Darjeeling.
According to Lama, the Gorkhaland
movement now stands at a juncture where the leaders are still blindly
searching for the right path.
“We should have learned from the
agitation of 1986 and accordingly made plans to achieve our goal,” he
said. “We lack a proper strategy to fight for a separate state. We
should also involve people from the Bengali, Bihari, Adivasi and other
communities and at the same time understand their sentiments as also
impress upon them as to why they should support the statehood demand. We
cannot fight just for the identity of the Gorkhas as statehood cannot
be achieved on that basis alone.”
Several people from the hills and the
Terai-Dooars region had gathered to hear Lama speak today and they
unanimously agreed to support his candidature for the Lok Sabha seat
from Darjeeling in next year’s general election.
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