Bengal united for peace in Bashirhat but neither Bengal nor India seem to care for Darjeeling and Sikkim people!

Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling today demanded urgent intervention of the Centre for early settlement of the Gorkhaland issue!

পাহাড়ে বন্‌ধ চলবে, চাপ বাড়াতে এ বার আমরণ অনশন, ঘেরাও

Palash Biswas

Darjeeling stand off takes a very serious turn as represenatives of all hill parties decided to go on fast unto death to push their demand for Gorkhaland.Mamata Banerjee`s belated call for peace and talks jejected and hithertoo no intiative fom the centre to sesolve the issue.Hills parties also decided tio gherao all SDO offices and have warned that the preople from every corner of the Hills would come down to Siliguri with bags to get ration!Particularly this decision if translated in act might create quite an anarchy as Anti Gorkhaland movement in plains has been launched whcih means economic blockade of Darjeeling as well as Sikkim.Heavy rain in hills have worsened day to day life in hills and hell losing as tea gardens might not feed the people

The chairman and vice chairman of the development boards set up by the State government has been asked to resign at 6pm on July 14.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who addressed a public gathering at Digha in Purba Medinipur assured people that her government would restore peace in the hills.While she urged the people in the hills to give peace a chance and not play with fire, she accused the Centre of creating tension in the Darjeeling hills.

Shamsul Haq rightly pointed out in detail in his article published in Indian Express that Baduria and Bashirhat have no history of communal clash or riots even in prepartition days.Mamata Banerjee is framing government of India alleging that the centre has been behind the riots in Bashirhat and it opened the border with Bangladesh wherefrom Bangladeshi nationals came over to Bashirhat and Baduria who were indulged in communal violence.Bashirhat is returning to normalcy and the media based in Kolkata played a very positive role to sustain peace.RSS leaders based in Bengal and rest of India misused social media to proveke hindutva with false scenes posted,copied and pasted from films,Gujarat killings and Bangladesh communal clash.

Bengal united for peace in Bashirhat but neither Bengal nor India seem to care for Darjeeling and Sikkim people!

But Darjeeling seems to be quite a different issue and media is not playing that positive role as far as Darjeeling and Sikkim are concerned.Mamata Banerjee sees RSS hand in Gorkhaland movement and lost the opportunity to resolve the problem taking peace initiative earlier.

Now as it happened ,an all-party meeting in Darjeeling on Tuesday concluded that one representative of each political party in the hills will undertake a fast unto death from July 15 to take forward the demand of Gorkhaland.Announcing the decision, Benoy Tamang, Assistant General Secretary of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), said the ongoing indefinite strike that began on June 15 will continue.

In addition, the parties also decided to lay seige to the offices of the District Magistrate and Sub Divisional Officers with the help of Gorkhaland supporters from July 14.Keeping in mind that political parties have lost control over their supporters indulging in violence and arson,the administration would have to face tougher weather in Hills and army might be deployed in every corner of the hills without any peace initiative from either the government of India or government of West Bengal.

The Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC), convened by the representatives of all the political parties in the hills, decided that all awards received from West Bengal Government would be returned on July 13.

Meanwhile ,Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today demanded urgent intervention of the Centre for early settlement of the Gorkhaland issue to safeguard the interest of Sikkim. He said in case the issue was not addressed on priority basis, the Sikkim government might approach the top court of India. "I seek urgent intervention of Government of India and all the authorities concerned for early settlement of the situation to safeguard the interest of Sikkim from these hazards and constraints on priority," Mr Chamling said through a press statement issued by the Information and Public Relations department of the state.

Chamling already supported the demand of Gorkhaland,Moreover,Sikkim assembly passed aresolution supporting the demand.West Bengal goverment lodged a formal protest aginst Chmaling.

"In case of not addressing this issue on priority, the state government may have to approach the apex court of India in the larger interest of Sikkimese people for justice," the statement said.Stating that the inter-state ramifications of the Gorkhaland agitation and treating it "merely as a West Bengal issue" was not adequate, the chief minister noted that the present situation in Darjeeling Hills has had a direct impact on life of the people of Sikkim and that this issue must be looked into with utmost seriousness.

"Sikkim's geographical location having international boundaries with three countries - China in the North, Bhutan in the East and Nepal in the West, and the potential threat to the national security is a matter of supreme importance," the statement said.

"The only access to the rest of the country is through the state of West Bengal. Sikkim is sandwiched due to the agitation and prevailing law and order situation."

"As far as the national security is concerned, Government of India is appropriately handling the matter. We fully support Government of India's effort, which is addressing the national security in the best interest of our country," the statement said.

The Sikkim Chief Minister also said that the law and order being a matter of the government of West Bengal, the loss and misery suffered by Sikkim could have been avoided. "The Gorkhaland agitation-related anguish of Sikkim is as old as the agitation itself. Sikkim bound vehicles have been targeted by fringe groups in Siliguri," it said.

"Trucks carrying essential goods, commodities and petroleum products are being ransacked right in the presence of the West Bengal Police, and it has been learnt that in some cases, the West Bengal police itself is overseeing the situation," it said.

The statement also said that people in need of immediate advanced medical care were affected. In addition, the economic development of Sikkim has also been affected.

The CM's statement also said that due to the unrest in the neighbouring state of Bengal, "Sikkim has already borne the loss of over Rs. 60,000 crore."

"In the agitation related violence on NH10, Sikkim's only road link with the rest of the nation, over 5,000 vehicles have been vandalised and around 1,300 people (drivers and passengers) killed in the last 32 years of Gorkhaland agitation," it said.

Anand Bazar Patrika reports:

পাহাড়ে বন্‌ধ চলবে, চাপ বাড়াতে এ বার আমরণ অনশন, ঘেরাও

ভেতরে কট্টরপন্থীদের চাপ আর বাইরে কেন্দ্র ও রাজ্য সরকারের চাপের মোকাবিলায় এ বার পাল্টা চাপের রাস্তা নিল পাহাড়ের সর্বদলীয় কমিটি।

মঙ্গলবারের বৈঠকে কমিটি সিদ্ধান্ত নিল, পাহাড়ে বন্‌ধ চলবে। কোনও ভাবেই তা প্রত্যাহার করা হবে না। বিমল গুরুঙ্গ, বিনয় তামাঙ্গ, নীরজ জিম্বা সহ কমিটির প্রতিনিধিরা সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়েছেন, ১৫ জুলাই থেকে তাঁরা ম্যালে শুরু করবেন আমরণ অনশন। অনশনের পাশাপাশি থাকবে ঘেরাওয়ের কর্মসূচিও। ১৪ জুলাই শিলিগুড়ি সহ পাহাড়, তরাই ও ডুয়ার্সের এসডিও অফিসগুলিও ঘেরাও করা হবে।

কমিটির অভিযোগ, পাহাড়গামী গাড়িগুলি থেকে জিএসটি বিল আদায় করা হচ্ছে যথেচ্ছ। তা বন্ধ করতে এ দিনের বৈঠকে সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়া হয়েছে, ২৫ জুলাই থেকে ঝোলা নিয়ে পাহাড় থেকে শিলিগুড়ি পর্যন্ত পদযাত্রা শুরু হবে।

পাহাড়ে কট্টরপন্থীরা বলতে শুরু করেছিলেন, কেন্দ্র ও রাজ্যের চাপের কাছে উত্তরোত্তর গলার সুর নরম করে ফেলছেন আন্দোলনকারীরা। সেই সুযোগে কেন্দ্র ও রাজ্য সরকারের চাপও বাড়তে শুরু করেছে।

অনেকেই মনে করছেন, 'ঘর'কে কিছুটা শান্ত রাখতে আর 'বাইরে'র চাপের বোঝাটা কাঁধ থেকে কিছুটা নামাতেই এই পাল্টা চাপের রাস্তায় হাঁটল কমিটি।