Public making voluntary contributions to statehood ‘fighting fund’

Darjeeling

18 Sep 2013

With the general public voluntarily stepping forward with donations to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha as an indication to continue pursuing the statehood movement, the ruling party in the hills is apparently under pressure to oblige.

The donations-in-cash and kind trend seems to be gathering steam and comes after chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegation the agitation is being funded by foreign hands.

“People on their own free will are contributing to the party’s ‘fighting fund’,” said GJM central committee treasurer Dawa Lama today at a press meet to make public the amounts that have been collected so far.

“People from various ‘sakhas’ and ‘prasakhas’ are making contributions and this speaks of their belief the GJM will take forward the movement for a Gorkhaland state.”

The Darjeeling town committee Yuwa Morcha has contributed Rs 57,580, Darjeeling Sadar I Rs50,000, including 1,450 quintals of rice as ‘muktidan’.

Further, Pandam residents have contributed Rs24,120, those from Harshinghatta Rs7,126, while residents of Lebong Valley have pitched in with Rs40,150 so far. Similar contributions to the ‘fighting fund’ are also being reported from Kalimpong and Kurseong sub-divisions.

Lama asserted, “The state government’s intention is to malign our party and put it on the back foot with an aim to suppress the statehood voice. But now people are coming together wary of the government’s designs and have begun supporting our party. The issue of foreign funding stands negated with the public contributing willingly.”

The GJM had distributed food grains and vegetables last month during the bandh, with GJM chief Bimal Gurung stating he would not let anyone go hungry. The move came in the wake of the state government’s efforts to distribute PDS food grains although most people refused to acknowledge the government’s gesture.

In a consequential move, the state government issued notices to PDS dealers across the hills to keep their business running during the strike, but the order went unheeded. The government then struck back by getting prominent businessmen in the hills, including PDS dealers, arrested on the surmise they were diverting PDS food grains to fund the movement.

Lama told the reporters present every paise collected from the people would be deposited into the GJM’s bank account and properly audited so as to maintain transparency.

Meanwhile, hundreds of supporters gathered in Chowrastha in the afternoon today in response to the GJM’s call of dressing up in traditional attire to demonstrate to the world outside the Darjeeling hills remain different from the rest of the state.