GNLF requests state govt to start talks

GNLF general secretary Mahendra Chhetri in Siliguri on Sunday. 
Picture by Passang Yolmo

TT, Siliguri, Aug. 20: The GNLF today appealed to the state government to initiate talks with the Gorkhaland agitators to end the current impasse in the hills, but minister Gautam Deb once again ruled out the possibility of the dialogue till the ongoing movement was lifted.

The request has come from the GNLF general secretary, Mahendra Chhetri, a few days after Kalyan Dewan, the coordinator of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee, said the panel was willing to hold a dialogue with the state government if a formal invitation was extended.

"The Union home minister, Rajnath Singh, had advised a GMCC delegation on August 13 to hold bipartite talks with the state government so that crisis in the hills could be resolved. We urge the state government to open a dialogue so that the indefinite shutdown that has been affecting normal life in the hills for the past 65 days could end," Chhetri told a news conference here.

"If the government sends us a letter inviting us to the talks, we will immediately take up the matter with the GMCC. Later, we can even send a reply to the state government. All we want is that somebody should come forward and break the ice," Chhetri said.

Minister Deb iterated that unless the hill parties withdrew the strike and refrained from violent activities, there was no question of holding talks with them.

"We took an initiative to hold an all-party meeting on June 22. But the hill parties rejected the invitation. Our conditions are very clear. They will have to withdraw the strike and refrain from violence. Only then can talks take place," Deb said after visiting a home guard who was injured in the attack on Kalimpong police station at a private nursing home in Sevoke Road here.

Till a few days back, the hill parties had been categorically saying they would hold parleys only with the Central government on the single point agenda of Gorkhaland.

Asked about the explosions in Darjeeling and Kalimpong, Chhetri said a high level inquiry committee should be formed to find out who were involved in the attacks.

"Whenever statehood movement took place in the hills, our leader Subash Ghishingh used to say many international agencies were trying to take advantage of the situation. We want a high level inquiry to find out who all are trying to derail our peaceful movement," the GNLF leader said.