Darjeeling
25 Aug 2013
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has begun
using every bit of arsenal at its disposal to thwart the state
government that is breathing down its neck, attempting to crush the
ongoing statehood agitation. Already, more than 800 party leaders and
activists have been detained by the police since July 29.
In a fresh, GJM president Bimal Gurung
today made a call to youngsters aged between 12 and 18 years to come
forward and participate in the separate state agitation.
The development is not surprising given
the fact that on earlier occasions too, the GJM has used school-going
kids (under the party’s student forum) to voice its statehood demand.
Party leaders are tightlipped about the
development, but sources said Gurung addressed a massive gathering
comprising enthusiastic youngsters today at Malidhura ground near
Patlebas, 6 km from Darjeeling town.
One of the sources said the GJM
president asked the children to voice their demand for separation from
Bengal by taking our rallies and holding public meetings from August 27
for five days.
“The youngsters must come out on to the
streets now and demand statehood. You (adolescents) will now conduct
rallies and public meetings from August 27 to 31,” the GJM chief told
the gathering who had braved the afternoon downpour to hear their
leader.
Gurung also urged the youngsters not to
fear the police. “Don’t be afraid of the police or the central forces as
they cannot lathicharge or arrest you,” he said amid cheers from the
huge crowd that had come in trucks chanting “Jai Gorkha, Jai
Gorkhaland”.
The source added Gurung is of the
opinion that youngsters aged between 12 and 18 are fresh of mind as they
do not carry the burden of thinking about jobs and the future.
“When you are in your twenties you tend
to think about the future and job opportunities. But between 12 and 18,
you are much more free which augurs well for our movement,” the source
said citing the GJM chief.
Further, Gurung has reportedly asked tech-savvy students to propagate the Gorkhaland state demand through the Internet.
“Make use of social networking sites to
take forward the statehood demand,” said Gurung, who himself uses a
popular social networking site to send out messages and make
announcements.
The Gorkha Janmukti Vidhyarthi Morcha,
the student wing of the party, has pledged to take forward the movement
that is seeing a setback with the state government using its
administrative machinery to scuttle the GJM’s agitation, while the
Calcutta High Court has termed calling strikes illegal.
“In a democratic country everyone has
the right to voice their demand. We will take to the streets as the
statehood demand is also our aspiration for a better future. We will
stage rallies and demonstrations in the entire hills for the five days,”
said GJVM central committee member Rohit Vikram Sharma. The students
will also submit a memorandum to the Darjeeling district magistrate
against the state government’s atrocities and send its copies to the
President, Chief Justice and the human rights commission chairman.
Meanwhile, the seventh day of the
ongoing “people’s agitation” remained peaceful with the GJM and the CPRM
holding a joint rally and meeting in Darjeeling. Shops and business
establishments continued to remain closed.
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