Darjeeling, Aug 27 (IANS) Claiming that the Gorkhaland issue was more important for students, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supremo Bimal Gurung Tuesday said the learners were ready to sacrifice their education to secure their demand for a separate state.
“The students of Darjeeling are ready to sacrifice their education for Gorkhaland. The truth is that the issue of Gorkhaland is more important for the students right now,” Gurung said on a social networking site asserting that thousands of students voluntarily participated in a rally supporting Gorkhaland.
“Their (students) participation is entirely of their own choice. We in the GJM, while welcoming it, would like to remove all misgivings and reiterate that the party has imposed no instructions to students to join in the ongoing movement,” he said.
The Gorkha outfit intensified their separatist movement, after the United Progressive Alliance central government approved the carving out of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh. The GJM has joined hands with several pro-Gorkhaland parties and formed the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee — which is now spearheading the stir.
“Students in the hills want their own state and I will give them their Gorkhaland. The fight for a separate state is not me for me or my party but it is for these children and their future,” said Gurung in his Facebook post.
However, there are some who do not concur with Gurung’s views.
“This should be the last and final sacrifices. I have sacrificed in 1980-86 movement and still unemployed and now my son is sacrificing… please think about it,” said one comment against Gurung’s post.
“Gorkhaland is very important for us… but if we can’t get good education now, it’ll destroy our future n that time we will have nothing but regrets,” read another comment.
Incidentally, a GJAC constituent — the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) — had earlier said they were planning to keep out educational institutions, particularly schools, out of the ambit of the stir.
