GNLF pledges Ghising will soon return

MIRIK 25 Oct 2013 The Village Protection Cell, a frontal organisation of the GNLF, has vowed to escort party chief Subash Ghising to the hills after Diwali. Party members are currently hoisting GNLF flags across several places of Mirik. Mirik Soureni Valley VPC chief convener Santamani Rai said, “Mirik is being decorated with the green flag to welcome Ghising.” He said party flags will be hoisted in Soureni from Saturday, adding...

Read More

Mamata, Morcha sheath swords

Darjeeling 25 Oct 2013 Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today struck all the right chords after nearly two months of a stand-off in the wake of a renewed movement for statehood in the Darjeeling hills. While Banerjee assured all possible cooperation and support to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the GJM pledged it would refrain from calling bandhs. A beaming and happy chief minister...

Read More

Fire reduces wooden house to ashes

KURSEONG 25 Oct 2013 A fire broke out in a wooden house around 10:30 am today at the St. Mary's Hills area of Kurseong. The blaze soon turned everything to ashes, lamented house owner Dilip Singh. However, no one was injured as the house was empty when the fire broke out. Neighbours tried to douse the flames but were unsuccessful as the house was made entirely of wood. They informed the Kurseong fire service but everything had...

Read More

मानवतस्करीमा संलग्न एक युवक पक्राउ

कालेबुङ, 24 अक्टोबर(प्रदीप) शहरसंलग्न एउटा गाउँबाट तीनजना किशोरीहरू हराएको घटनामा कालेबुङ पुलिसले 18 बर्षीय एक युवकलाई पक्राउ गरेको छ। यहाँको छोटा भालूखोप बस्ने युवक रमेश विश्वकर्म(18)-लाई मानवतस्करीमा संलग्न रहेको शंकामा कालेबुङ पुलिसले आज एनजेपीस्थित रेलवे स्टेशन परिसरबाट नियञ्त्रणमा लिएको छ।पुलिसले हराएका तीन किशोरीहरूमध्ये एक सृष्टि(परिवर्तित नाम)-लाई पनि युवकसँगै उद्धार गरेको छ। सृष्टिका परिवारले कालेबुङ थानामा दर्ता गरेको प्राथमिकीको...

Read More

Ghisingh admitted to hospital

Siliguri, Oct. 24: GNLF president Subash Ghisingh was admitted to a private nursing home in Matigara this morning after he complained of weakness. P.D. Bhutia, the doctor under whose care Ghisingh was admitted, said the 78-year-old GNLF leader was brought in around 4.30am. Matigara, where Ghisingh also stays, is on the outskirts of Siliguri. “He was complaining of giddiness, lethargy and weakness. On preliminary examination his blood pressure...

Read More

Mamata near a peak Basu couldn’t climb Grudging admiration from CPM on hills

Calcutta, Oct. 24: Mamata Banerjee’s success in bringing the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha back to the talks table has prompted the CPM to concede that a solution through talks was welcome and inadvertently give credit to the government for breaking the deadlock. “We have been watching how repeated agitations in the Darjeeling hills disrupted peace. The Morcha should sit with the state government and resolve the problem through talks,” Biman...

Read More

Manna Dey passes away - Singer leaves fans and admirers in Assam saddened

Guwahati, Oct. 24: Hear me, O friend from the bank across /There is but darkness here/And a storm swallows the sky/Take me across my friend, take me ashore (O bandho, xiparor bandho, xuna/Endhar ito paar/Kaldhumuhai dhake akax/Korason xipar (mok) korasun xipar) This was a popular song from the Assamese film Aparoopa sung by the legendary Manna Dey who passed away today at Bangalore, the development leaving his fans and admirers back in Assam,...

Read More

‘Dormant’ GNLF stirs in Kalimpong to startle GJM

KALIMPONG 23 Oct 2013 The Gorkha National Liberation Front, which had hitherto maintained a distance from active politics, today created a stir when supporters gathered in front of the party office at 10 mile phatak. They shouted slogans supporting party chief Subhash Ghising and demanded Sixth Schedule status. GNLF supporters were seen putting up party flags across town to create quite a stir among residents. As news of this spread,...

Read More

GJM was never sincere to Gorkhaland demand: Pradhan

KALIMPONG 23 Oct 2013 With the Gorkhaland Terrotorial Administration back to functioning thanks to the GJM’s turnaround decision, the Bharatia Gorkha Parisangh has called it a day from membership of the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee. Accusing the GJM of never being committed to the statehood demand, BGP national president Dr. Enos Das Pradhan said today at a press meet the joint forum had been formed to spearhead the statehood...

Read More

Supporters forsaking Morcha for TMC in Kalimpong

KALIMPONG 23 Oct 2013 The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha may have said it will continue with its agitation for statehood even as it runs the GTA, but party supporters are continuing to quit ranks in favour of the Trinamool Congress. They have said the decision of the GJM keep the GTA alive is the main reason for their leaving the party. About 40 GJM supporters from Kalimpong today joined the Hill TMC and they included Teesta unit branch secretary ...

Read More

GTA back to work after two months - Allay says hill body to function properly, Morcha first patch-up signal to state

Darjeeling, Oct. 22: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today made the first sign of reconciliation with the state government as the deputy chief executive of the GTA Sabha took charge as the GTA’s acting chief. Lt. Col (retd) Ramesh Allay was given the powers to act as the GTA chief executive today as chief minister Mamata Banerjee started her tour of the hills. Around 1pm today, Allay entered his office at Lal Khoti. Earlier in the day, the...

Read More

GJM leaders interact with media in Kurseong

KURSEONG 22 Oct 2013 Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri today returned to Darjeeling from Guwahati ahead of the chief minister’s visit. The duo stopped at the Tourist Lodge in Kurseong where they interacted with reporters. Gurung said a few people joining the TMC will not affect the influence his party commands in the hills. He claimed those who have joined the Trinamool belong to the GNLF...

Read More

UGRF accuses state govt of ‘mocking democracy’

PRADIP LOHAGUN KALIMPONG 22 Oct 2013 After maintaining silence for some time, the United Gorkha Revolutionary Front today slammed the state government over its highhanded attitude towards the hills. Talking to reporters here, UGRF deputy chief Rudra Acharya accused the state government of disrespecting the Constitution by making a mockery of democracy in the hills. Citing a recent statement made by chief minister Mamata Banerjee,...

Read More

GJM support base sliding as quickly as it had surged: Khati

KALIMPONG 22 Oct 2013 ABGL general secretary Pratap Khati has said the lack of sincerity among GJM leaders toward the statehood issue is the main reason for the slide in support the party is witnessing at present. Speaking today with reporters here, he said, “The ABGL has reiterated time and again the support base of the GJM will fall as quickly as it had surged. It has eventually bowed before the state government. Morcha leaders...

Read More

GJM will continue with statehood demand: Chettri

PRADIP LOHAGUN KALIMPONG 22 Oct 2013 Even as the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is fast losing support to rivals, party spokesperson Dr. Harka Bahadur Chettri has said the GJM will continue with its agitation for statehood while maintaining good relations with the state government. Chettri, who is presently in Kolkata, had a telephonic conversation with reporters here, and his comments hinted of the GJM quietly acquiescing before the state government. “We should be ready and well prepared before the big fight. The GJM has taken...

Read More

GJM frontal organisation withdraws support

PRADIP LOHAGUN KALIMPONG 22 Oct 2013 The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is at present in a queer situation given the pressure tactics of the state government and the continual loss of support base. Adding to the headache, the Kalimpong unit of the party’s frontal organisation, the Janmukti United Labour Welfare Organisation (JULWO), today pulled its feet out of the Morcha. JULWO Kalimpong sub-divisional committee president DB Pradhan, secretary Sunil Golay and several other members submitted a joint resignation to GJM Kalimpong...

Read More

GTA members to attend office from Tuesday

Darjeeling 21 Oct 2013 After three months of a “stand-off” with the state government, elected members of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha have agreed to start attending office from Tuesday, October 22. The 45 sabhasads from the GJM had refrained from attending office after GJM president Bimal Gurung submitted his resignation from the GTA chief executive post on July 30 to start a fresh statehood...

Read More

Hill TMC busy preparing to welcome party chief

MOHAN PRASAD KURSEONG 21 Oct 2013 Just ahead of the chief minister’s visit to Darjeeling, Trinamool Congress activists and supporters in the hills are busy making preparations to welcome her. Supporters in Kurseong are fully engaged in the job as Mamata Banerjee will be travelling through town on Thursday to attend the public meeting in Darjeeling. Party flags have been put up along the National Highway. TMC student leader Vipin...

Read More

GTA gear change after Mukul meet Power to deputy chief to run hill council

Darjeeling, Oct. 20: The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Sabha today decided to convene a meeting to give the deputy chief executive the powers of a chief executive so that the hill autonomous body starts functioning normally. The GTA is controlled by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha which had said during the July-September statehood agitation that it would exit the hill body at an “appropriate time”. The decision to convene the Sabha was taken a day after the three Morcha MLAs — Trilok Dewan, Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Rohit Sharma...

Read More

Deb stress on Morcha talks

Siliguri, Oct. 20: North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb today welcomed the initiative taken by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to start talks with the government and said the state was always ready to sort out any issue through dialogues. “The good sense of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders has prevailed and they are now ready to meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee and start a dialogue as they have changed with the times,” Deb told journalists at the PWD inspection bungalow here today. He, however, did not say if the Morcha leaders...

Read More

Trinamul switch claim

Oct. 20: Trinamul Congress leaders have claimed that over 700 people who were Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters have joined the state’s ruling party in Kurseong and Kalimpong. The drives to woo Morcha supporters were carried out in the Mahanadi-Gayabari area in Kurseong subdivision and Gorubathan block in Kalimpong subdivision that skirts the edge of the Dooars and Jalpaiguri district. On October 23, the chief minister is to meet the members of the Lepcha development board in Kurseong. In the Mahanadi-Gayabari area in Kurseong,...

Read More

15 GJM households join TMC

PRADIP LOHAGUN KALIMPONG 20 Oct 2013 The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha continues to lose its support base in the rural areas of Kalimpong. Fifteen households from Kage Gram Panchayat area today are reported to have quit the party to join the Trinamool Congress. Hill TMC student leader CP Kathiwada said GJM Kage unit founding president Chatur Singh Chettri and executive member Jyanmani Chettri embraced the TMC flag along with 13 families of the village. Chattra Parishad leader CP Kathiwada, Kage unit coordinator Sonam Bhutia,...

Read More

Namchi TT Association affiliated to STTA

NAMCHI 20 Oct 2013 The Namchi Table Tennis Association is now affiliated to its parent body, the Sikkim Table Tennis Association.           The affiliation certificate was handed over to a NTTA team in  Gangtok today by STTA president CK Basnet, who is also the president of Sikkim Olympic Association. Speaking on the occasion, Basnet expressed his happiness over the formation of a new table tennis association at the south district of Namchi and applauded the aims and objectives...

Read More