Chhatrey quits fight for state

RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Chhatrey Subba at his home in Kalimpong. (Chinlop Fudong Lepcha) Kalimpong, March 29: Gorkha leader Chhatrey Subba today announced that he will never ever take part in the movement for Gorkhaland as he felt let down by the people who, he suggested, didn’t have the courage to fight for the cause. Hurt by the negligible turnout at a meeting called by him to revive his dormant Gorkha Liberation Organisation (GLO) here today, Subba accused the people of preferring money to a land of their own. “Mato premee haina, money premee janatalai Gorkhaland chayandena rahecha (People who love money more than their land do not seem to need Gorkhaland),” he said. While journalists were waiting for the meeting to begin, some of his supporters said Chhatrey would raise a GLO flag to revive the organisation in a symbolic way. However, after a rather long wait, Chhatrey made a lone and dramatic appearance in front of the media. He expressed his disappointment at the failure of his supporters to come to the meeting and said: “I will not take part in the movement for Gorkhaland. For me, it is an end to Gorkhaland.” Hardly 30 to 40 people were present at Chhatrey’s house to attend the meeting. “What can I do with so few supporters,” asked the GLO chief. The firebrand Gorkha leader said after receiving entreaties from many people in the hills and the Dooars over the past few months, he had invited them to the meeting. “I had called all the people who wanted Gorkhaland to the meeting. But no one today turned up. They seem to be happy with the Morcha,” he lamented, adding: “People only talk, they don’t have the courage. Why should I offer to die for a community which does not have courage. My congratulations to the Morcha.” Getting emotional, Subba said he would never work for the community that was resigned to being slaves for generations. “I feel sorry that I was born in a wrong clan (read community),” he said in English. The onus, he said, was on the people to find a suitable leader who would deliver them Gorkhaland.(The Telegraph)