The Hindu : National : Ghising goes to Kolkata; to meet Buddhadeb

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Ghising goes to Kolkata; to meet Buddhadeb

Special Correspondent

— Photo: PTI

GNLF chief Subhas Ghising after his arrival in Kolkata on Friday.

KOLKATA: Subhas Ghising, administrator of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), who had decided against returning to Darjeeling and stayed on in Siliguri since his arrival there from New Delhi four days ago in view of blocks set up on the roads leading to the hill town by activists of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), came here on Friday.

He is to meet Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, on Saturday.

The bandh called by the GJM leadership in the hills — demanding the immediate removal of Mr. Ghising from the post and the scrapping of the move to grant Sixth Schedule status to the region — entered its third day on Friday.

The GJM is also demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of the Darjeeling hills and certain areas contiguous to it.

“Mr. Ghising, who could not return to Darjeeling as he had hoped, has now fled to Kolkata,” GJM president Bimal Gurung told The Hindu over telephone from Darjeeling. “Our supporters will now go to Kolkata and gherao him at the place he has put up.”

On the developments in the hills, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu said: “Mr. Ghising finds himself in a difficult situation with many of his supporters [who are now with the GJM] having turned against him”. Mr. Bhattacharjee was monitoring the situation in Darjeeling and holding talks with the Centre to press for the speedy passage in Parliament of the two amendment Bills aimed at granting Sixth Schedule status to the region, Mr. Basu said.

“The bandh in the Darjeeling hills will continue till our demands are met”, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said. Thirty-three GJM activists were on hunger strike since February 17 in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong and the condition of some of them was serious, he added.

The GJM leadership announced that Municipal Affairs Minister Ashok Bhattacharya too would be prevented from entering the hills. This follows Mr. Bhattacharya’s comments here on Thursday, describing the GJM’s supporters as “outsiders” who were trying to foment trouble in Siliguri.

There could be no further talks here with the State government on the demands, Mr. Giri said, referring to Mr. Bhattacharya’s appeal for a dialogue with the GJM.

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