Subhash Ghising’s body brought to Darjeeling

January 31, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 09:57 am IST - Kolkata:

Supporters of the Gorkha National Liberation Front carrying the body of Subhash Ghising from Bagdogra airport, 20 km from Siliguri, on Friday.PHOTO: AFP

Supporters of the Gorkha National Liberation Front carrying the body of Subhash Ghising from Bagdogra airport, 20 km from Siliguri, on Friday.PHOTO: AFP

The body of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) founder Subhash Ghising, who passed way in Delhi on Thursday, was brought to Darjeeling on Friday.

GNLF general secretary Mahendra Chettri told The Hindu that body will be kept at his residence in Darjeeling and final rites will be performed on Sunday in the Majnu Tea Estate where Mr Ghising was born.

Several people queued up to pay their respects to the Gorkha leader who was the first to raise the demand of Gorkhaland. The GNLF leadership also announced that Mr Ghising’s son Mohan Ghising would lead the party.

“As a mark of respect for the late Gorkha leader, all offices under the GTA will remain closed on Saturday,” Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president and Chief Executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Bimal Gurung said.

Many remembered Mr Ghising for his contribution to the politics of Darjeeling hills.

“He was the founding father of a separate Gorkhaland movement and is the one who gave political significance to the term, Gorkhaland,” said Harka Bahadur Chettri, a MLA.

North Bengal Development Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Gautam Deb said, “Mr Ghising was a veteran leader from the Darjeeling hills.”

His political adversaries also praised him for his political acumen. The CPI-M leader from north Bengal Asok Bhattacharya, who was Mr Ghising’s direct political opponent for decades, described him as the “most practical leader” from the hills.

“Mr Ghising had realised that a separate state of Gorkhaland will not be a reality and this is when he responded to the call of Jyoti Basu and agreed for the formation of DGHC,” Mr Bhattacharya added.

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