‘GTA has no legs to stand on if put under constitutional scrutiny’- GTF 1st anniversary of GTA black flagged at different parts of the country
MUKESH SHARMA
KALIMPONG
July 18
The
Gorkhaland Task Force held a protest sit-in at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi
on the first anniversary of the signing of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration
agreement on July 18. Dismissing the GTA as the greatest obstacle to the
formation of a separate State for the Gorkhas of India, speakers at the
black-band event also renewed their commitment to Gorkhaland.
GTF
General Secretary Munish Tamang pointed out how the GTA was the result of the
Government’s belittling attitude towards the genuine demand of the Gorkhas for
a separate State that would undermine their national identity. “The GTA Act
accords no reservations for the SC, ST and women in the GTA Sabha, which defies
constitutional convention that reserves such seats in all electoral bodies in
India. This only proves the GTA has no legs to stand on if put under
constitutional scrutiny,” he said. He added, “The GTA elections are being
conducted by the Hill Affairs Department and District Magistrate. The GTA,
therefore, is only a minor body that does not warrant the West Bengal Electoral
Office conducting the polls. It is even less than the panchayats.”
Wearing
black bands on their arms, speaker after speaker categorized the culmination of
the Gorkhaland movement run by the GJM in the GTA as a betrayal of Gorkha
aspirations. “Thankfully, the traitors have been exposed in time and we can now
continue with our struggle for a separate State,” said Uttam Chhetri, President
of the Delhi Unit of the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist.
Other
speakers included eminent Supreme Court advocate P Niroop, Joel Rai from the
Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, Kiran BK of
the Haryana CPRM, Raja Rai of the Gorkha Shahid Sewa Samiti, Andrew Gurung of
the GSSS and Samir Pradhan of the Gorkha Democratic Front.
Similarly,
the Bharitya Gorkha Parisangh of Uttarakhand also observed today, the 18 July
2012 as Black Day on the occasion of the first anniversary of the signing of
the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) agreement among the West Bengal
Government, Central Government and the GJM of Darjeeling.
At
a programme to express disappointment at the GTA, BGP Uttarakhand President Lt
Col DS Khadka said the Gorkhas of Uttarakhand remember July 18 as a day on
which the Gorkha aspiration for the creation of separate State was betrayed by
the GJM. He also said the Bhartiya
Gorkha Parisangh of UK rejects the GTA and supports Gorkhaland Task Force.
Similarly
the Mizoram Gorkhas observing the black day criticized the act of the GJM
accepting the GTA which also excludes the Terai-Dooars. “This is for another
time that the Gorkhas has been betrayed” states a press release issued by the
General Secretary, Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, Mizoram Rajya Sakha, Nirmal K.
Pun.
In
an another press release issued by BB Chettri, President of the Bharatiya
Gorkha Parisangh Meghalaya Unit, the BGP and the Gorkha Public Panchayat, Khasi
Hills District of Meghalaya, have jointly condemned the agreement to accept the
GTA instead of a State by the GJM.
BGP
in Assam, Rajya Sakha, Vice President Adhibakta Nityananda Upadhya and General
Secretary Dr. Chintamani Sharma also informed that the singing of the GTA by
the GJM has also hurted the aspirations of the Assamese Gorkhas. It is only
Gorkhaland that can really fulfill the aspiration of the Gorkhas of not only
Hills but of the whole country, added the release.
The
Gorkhas of Darjeeling District first demanded a separate State for Gorkhas in
the year 1907 and since then different political parties have been demanding
the creation of separate State for Gorkhas. The Gorkhas of India have been
supporting the demand for the distinct identity for Indian Gorkhas.
Many
Indian Gorkhas had sacrificed their lives for the cause from time to time. In
the year 1988 Subash Ghising and his party Gorkha National Liberation Front
betrayed the cause by accepting Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council instead of Gorkhaland.
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council was a development council under West Bengal. The
demand of the Gorkhas were to have a
separate State of their own outside Bengal domination by carving out the
Darjeeling District and Dooars from Jalpaiguri but Ghising accepted the
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council within Bengal. In the year 2007, a ray of hope
was seen when Bimal Gurung started fresh agitation for creation of Gorkhaland
by opening a new political party under the name and style “Gorkha Janamukti
Morcha”. People had given unqualified support to the agitation spearheaded by
the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha with a hope that one day the Gorkhas will have
their own State. Bimal Gurung also betrayed the people and threw a wet blanket on the aspiration of 1.25
crore India Gorkhas by signing an agreement at Pintail Village on 18th July
2011 for Gorkhaland Territorial Administration without defining its territorial
areas.
Now
the Justice Shyamal Sen Commission has offered 5 mouzas only against 396 mouzas
demanded by the GJM. The Morcha gladly accepted it without any protest. When
the GJMM decided to contest the GTA election in the present form, it is a
second injury inflicted on the hopes of Gorkhas. The GJM has agreed that
Darjeeling Hills will be a part of West Bengal, this indication was given when
GJM supremo Bimal Gurung and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee jointly
addressed the Press Conference recently at Kalimpong.
Munish
Tamang said that the GJM betrayed the people of hills, specially the Gorkhas of
Dooars and Terai areas, as well as Gorkhas from other parts of India. As such
18th July 2011 was the day of betrayal and a Black Day for Gorkhas.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Share your views...
0 Respones to "‘GTA has no legs to stand on if put under constitutional scrutiny’- GTF 1st anniversary of GTA black flagged at different parts of the country"
Post a Comment