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Basu: ready for tripartite meet on Darjeeling

Special Correspondent

Kolkata: The West Bengal government will be represented at any tripartite meeting the Centre may call to discuss the situation in the Darjeeling hills, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu said here on Friday.

“If the Centre convenes it (tripartite talks) we will go,” Mr. Basu told newspersons.

He regretted the refusal of the GJM leadership to sit for talks with the State government following an offer to do so by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

“They (the GJM leaders) are not coming even though the State government has invited them for talks. They were called again (earlier this week) but if they do not come what do we do,” Mr. Basu asked. He said the government had expressed its keenness to consider granting greater autonomy to the Darjeeling region.

Bandh continues

Normal life remained affected in the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling district as the indefinite bandh called by the GJM leadership continued.

The bandh that resumed on Monday evening was called to highlight the GJM’s demand for a separate Gorkhaland state to be carved out of the Darjeeling hills and certain areas contiguous to it.

The GJM leadership, which has rejected talks with the State government, is awaiting word from the Centre on its request for tripartite discussions on the subject.

A reply is being prepared to Mr. Bhattacharjee’s recent letter inviting GJM president Bimal Gurung for talks “without any condition,” a senior GJM leader said.

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