Darjeeling, August 1 (IANS) Hours after limiting its shutdown demanding Gorkhaland in northern West Bengal’s Darjeeling Hills, beginning Saturday, to 96 hours, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Thursday did a volte-face by declaring that the shutdown was indefinite.
“The state government has procured central security forces and wants to violently crush our movement. So we have decided to go back to our initial call for an indefinite shutdown,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said.
Earlier in the morning, the GJM in a climb down had announced to limit the shutdown to 96 hours in view of the oncoming Eid festival.
“We had called for an indefinite shutdown from Saturday. But we have now restricted it to 96 hours. There is Eid on Aug 8,” Giri had said, announcing his party’s decision on relaxing the movement.
Following the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance’s endorsement for a separate Telangana state, to be carved out from Andhra Pradesh, the Darjeeling hills have been on the boil, with the GJM announcing that it would intensify its movement demanding a separate Gorkhaland.
The GJM wants the new state to be carved out of parts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts of northern West Bengal.
GJM chief Bimal Gurung has already resigned as the chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) – an autonomous and elected hill development council.
The GJM leadership is slated to meet union Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde Friday with its demands.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday ruled out division of the state or the dissolution of GTA and asserted her government will take strict steps to maintain peace in the Darjeeling hills.
