The fresh movement for a separate State of Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling hills gathered steam on Tuesday with smaller parties backing the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) demand.
At a meeting called by the GJM at the Darjeeling Gymkhana Club, representatives of the Gorkha Rashtriya Nirman Manch, Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists(CPRM) and the BJP were present. It was decided to collectively carry forward the struggle for Gorkhaland.
In an embarrassment for the Trinamool Congress, the GNLF, with whom it had forged an alliance in the recent municipal polls, came out in full support of Gorkhaland.
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“The GNLF wholeheartedly supports the demand for Gorkhaland,” GNLF spokesperson Neeraj Zimba Tamang said, adding the alliance with the Trinamool Congress was only an “electoral understanding.” Mr. Tamang said the demand for Gorkhaland was raised by GNLF founder Subhash Ghising and the party would stand by whoever raises the issue.
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri demanded a written clarification from the West Bengal government on the three language policy, which intends to make Bengali compulsory. He said the movement would be peaceful.
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