Delhi race within Morcha to push for talks - Bimal group follows Binay

Tamang leaves Bagdogra airport on Tuesday. (Passang Yolmo)

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 19: Leaders from the Bimal Gurung camp in the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today met Union home minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi, a day after rebel party leaders Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa called on some "important person" in the capital.

Sources said the leaders from both the camps had a common agenda - to press the Centre to facilitate tripartite talks.

According to political analysts, both the lobbies have been trying hard to make their presence felt in Delhi, especially after the rift widened within the Morcha with one group pitching for normality to return to the hills and the other taking a hardline stand of continuing with strike.

"The race to make the presence felt in Delhi is all the more intense because the state has already acknowledged Binay Tamang as the Morcha's main representative and is unlikely to invite the Gurung lobby for future talks. The Tamang camp now wants a similar recognition from the Centre and the Gurung lobby is desperate to prevent it," an observer said.

The Morcha team that met Rajnath today had in it general secretary Roshan Giri, leaders Swaraj Thapa, D.K. Pradhan, P.T. Ola and T.C. Roka, along with Darjeeling MP S.S. Ahluwalia.

"We have demanded tripartite talks on Gorkhaland. The state, Centre, and representatives of the hill parties should be there at the meeting so that a solution can be reached. We reminded the Union home minister how former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had handled the situation by convening a tripartite meeting," Giri said over the phone from Delhi.

"The Union home minister has assured that he will do something within the next few days," he added.

Tamang, who returned to the hills today after "an unofficial meeting" in Delhi around 11.30pm yesterday, was brief in his reaction.

"We don't want to disclose anything about the meeting in Delhi. We want tripartite talks but before that, we will attend the next round of meeting with the state on October 16. There has always been a single purpose for our visit to Delhi and that is to work towards achieving statehood," the rebel Morcha leader said outside Bagdogra airport today.

"All we can say is that the meetings in Calcutta and Delhi were effective," he added.

Sources said Tamang and Thapa had met an "important person", who they believe, could expedite the process of tripartite talks.

"It will be a fresh setback for the Gurung camp if the Centre agrees to a tripartite meeting but invites only Binay Tamang, very much like the state. None of these lobbies want the other side to take the credit if at all such talks are held," said a veteran in hill politics.

The observers said the Gurung camp, which has stressed that the strike will continue until tripartite talks are convened, is under extreme pressure at a time sections of the hill society have started responding to calls from Tamang on making attempts to restore normality.

Gurung, who spoke to some Kalimpong-based journalists over the phone from an undisclosed location today, trained guns at the rebel camp.

"Yesterday's meeting in Calcutta was only a show. They went to Delhi for an excuse and not for any political or official talks. They are trying to delude the people," Gurung said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY OUR CALCUTTA BUREAU AND RAJEEV RAVIDAS IN KALIMPON