Jayanta Gupta, Deep Gazmer & Pinak Priya Bhattacharya, TNN Jul 19, 2011, 01.51am IST
PINTAIL VILLAGE: Peace got another chance on Monday in the volatile Darjeeling hills with the signing of a tripartite agreement that attempts to meet the Gorkhas' century-old quest for self-rule while keeping the geographical unity of Bengal intact. The accord is well-timed for chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who had promised to resolve the hill crisis within three months of coming to power, and could also help the Centre in creating options for Telangana and other statehood movements.
At Pintail Village, the epicentre of the Gorkhas' campaign for ethnic identity in the Terai, the Central and state governments and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) signed an agreement to pave the way for the creation of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). The new arrangement will replace the existing Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, which came into existence in 1988 following a similar accord signed between the Centre, the Left Front government and Subash Ghising's Gorkha National Liberation Front.
The GTA agreement was signed in the presence of Union home minister P Chidambaram, Mamata and GJM chief Bimal Gurung amid celebrations by thousands of Gorkhas who had turned out in their traditional attire. Contrary to expectations, the GJM chief didn't sign the accord and GJM state general secretary Roshan Giri did it on his behalf. The two other signatories were Bengal home secretary G D Gautama and Union home joint secretary K K Pathak.
Aware of the Left Front's criticism that the accord would divide Bengal, Mamata told the gathering that Darjeeling would remain an integral part of the state. "Development of the hills is crucial if the plains are to prosper. The GTA will receive all help from the Centre and the state," she said. "People have raised questions about the GTA's name. The draft, which was prepared on August 17, 2010, had the name Gorkhaland Regional Authority. I didn't change anything apart from the word 'Regional'. The hills and plains are like two sisters, who have to develop and prosper together."
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-19/india/29790139_1_bimal-gurung-gorkha-janmukti-morcha-darjeeling-hills
PINTAIL VILLAGE: Peace got another chance on Monday in the volatile Darjeeling hills with the signing of a tripartite agreement that attempts to meet the Gorkhas' century-old quest for self-rule while keeping the geographical unity of Bengal intact. The accord is well-timed for chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who had promised to resolve the hill crisis within three months of coming to power, and could also help the Centre in creating options for Telangana and other statehood movements.
At Pintail Village, the epicentre of the Gorkhas' campaign for ethnic identity in the Terai, the Central and state governments and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) signed an agreement to pave the way for the creation of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). The new arrangement will replace the existing Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, which came into existence in 1988 following a similar accord signed between the Centre, the Left Front government and Subash Ghising's Gorkha National Liberation Front.
The GTA agreement was signed in the presence of Union home minister P Chidambaram, Mamata and GJM chief Bimal Gurung amid celebrations by thousands of Gorkhas who had turned out in their traditional attire. Contrary to expectations, the GJM chief didn't sign the accord and GJM state general secretary Roshan Giri did it on his behalf. The two other signatories were Bengal home secretary G D Gautama and Union home joint secretary K K Pathak.
Aware of the Left Front's criticism that the accord would divide Bengal, Mamata told the gathering that Darjeeling would remain an integral part of the state. "Development of the hills is crucial if the plains are to prosper. The GTA will receive all help from the Centre and the state," she said. "People have raised questions about the GTA's name. The draft, which was prepared on August 17, 2010, had the name Gorkhaland Regional Authority. I didn't change anything apart from the word 'Regional'. The hills and plains are like two sisters, who have to develop and prosper together."
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-19/india/29790139_1_bimal-gurung-gorkha-janmukti-morcha-darjeeling-hills