A delegation of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Friday met Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and reiterated its demand for creation of a separate Gorkhaland State.
“We do not want to stay with West Bengal. We want to be liberated from the colonial rule of the West Bengal government,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told journalists after the meeting here. Darjeeling MP and expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh, who was part of the delegation, said it told Mr. Chidambaram that the GJM plea was the “oldest” demand for carving out a State.
“We are not piggybacking on Telangana. We are not trying to exploit the situation arising out of the announcement of the Telangana State. The Gorkhaland demand is a just demand and it reflects the aspirations of the people living in the Darjeeling hills,” Mr. Singh said.
Mr. Giri said they would not rest until they got Gorkhaland. “The Government of India should recognise our demands and the reality.”
The delegation assured Mr. Chidambaram that the agitation would be peaceful. Mr. Singh said the proposed talks among the Centre, GJM and the West Bengal government must be held in Darjeeling and all stakeholders should participate. The Minister assured the team that he would ensure that the meeting took place as scheduled later this month and that the talk process continued, Mr. Singh said.
