With the GJM gearing up for a prolonged confrontation with the West Bengal government over the Gorkhaland statehood issue, the party’s leadership is planning to revive Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) — its “peacekeeping” wing.
“The situation is getting worse with each passing day. We feel that a head-on collision is just a matter of time. So we need to prepare ourselves to counter the State government democratically,” GJM central committee member and former in-charge of GLP Colonel (retd.) Ramesh Alley said.
“We (GJM) will revive and recruit more youths in GLP, our own peacekeeping force. We have to prepare ourselves,” he said.
The GJM, Mr. Alley said, wants to raise a 8,000-strong force in Darjeeling hills to tackle “any kind of situation”.
The idea of the GLP was first mooted by GJM supremo Bimal Gurung during the Gorkhaland agitation of 2008.
Mr. Gurung had then held a meeting with former Army personnel and officers from the hills and requested them to take charge of selection, recruitment and training of the youths. The outfit was first named Gorkhaland Police, but after opposition from various quarters it was renamed Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP).
The criteria for a place in this force was education upto standard eight and of course physical fitness and agility. After initial selection, nearly 3,000 youths were trained for joining the GLP.
The force in 2009 enforced bandhs called by GJM, ensured that locals wear traditional Nepali attire at least thrice a week, seize and destroy liquor and provide protection to Mr. Gurung and top GJM leaders.
Paid only a paltry allowance, the GLP youths were promised to be absorbed into the police force after the creation of Gorkhaland. However, the GLP took a back seat and most of its trained youths were absorbed into GJM youth wing instead following the formation of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration in 2011.
“During GTA, the State government had promised that these youths would be absorbed in the State police force but nothing of the sort happened. Now we no longer have any expectation from the State government. We are Indians and we hope that the Centre will take action to resolve the crisis in the hills,” Mr. Alley said.
After Mr. Bimal Gurung’s office and other premises of the GJM were raided in this latest round of agitation, the party leadership decided to revive the force to counter the alleged police atrocities.
Mr. Alley and other GJM leaders pointed out they are not for any armed struggle as that would mean taking up arms against the Centre.
“We have been soldiers all our life. We can never think of armed struggle against the Centre. We love our motherland India, but we want a separate state. It is a fight for our own identity,” Mr. Alley said.
Darjeeling has been on the boil for the past ten days and and indefinite shut down is on by GJM in support of its separate Gorkhaland demand.
Reacting to the GJM’s decision to revive GLP, senior TMC leader and Minister Gautam Deb said, “We all know that GJM is a separatist force. So it is expected that they well set up a militant organisation. But we will not allow such separatist forces to grow.”
