In a u-turn, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) which has demanded creation of Gorkhaland after the Centre gave its nod to Telangana, on Monday said that the only way to move forward was ’through dialogue’ as no violence was necessary.
“Now the Gorkhaland agitation will be done through dialogue. I want no violence in the name of Gorkhaland,” GJM President Bimal Gurung said in a Facebook post.
“Dialogue is the only way we can solve the problem of the hills. The government must understand that,” he said.
Without referring to the party’s claim that it has been called for tripartite talks on October 23, Mr. Gurung said, “In December the agitation will be Delhi-oriented and a lakh of Gorkha people will go to Delhi and create pressure for Gorkhaland.”
GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri had on September 30 claimed that the Morcha received a phone call from the Ministry of Home Affairs inviting it to participate in the tripartite talks to be held on October 23 in New Delhi.
Earlier, the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee had suspended the indefinite agitation for Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling hills till October 20, in deference to the appeal by the Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to call it off to facilitate tripartite talks.
