Gorkha Janmukti Morcha delegation meets Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata

A delegation of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Thursday met TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata to discuss issues pertaining to the hills.

The delegation included GJM general secretary Roshan Giri and Dr RB Bhujel.

West Bengal Law Minister Moloy Ghatak was present at the meeting.

The delegation apprised and discussed the matter of permanent political solution of Hills, Terai and Dooars as mentioned in TMC's pre-election manifesto for 2021 and requested him to take immediate necessary steps in this regard.

Notably, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said at a public meeting on December 15, 2020 in Jalpaiguri that she would find out the permanent political solution of the Hills at the earliest.

A separate state of 'Gorkhaland' has been a long-standing demand of Nepali-speaking Gorkhas since 1907 on the grounds that they are culturally and ethnically different from West Bengal. The demand took a violent turn, which led to the death of over 1,200 people.

In the current scenario, GTA is the local autonomous body in the Darjeeling hills, which is headed by the Binoy Tamang-led faction of the GJM that supports the TMC.

Apart from the political disturbance, the adversities of tea garden workers and lack of employment opportunities are the key issues in the region. The closed tea estates articulate the melancholy of tea garden workers. Further, the region has not witnessed the infrastructural development that many believe it should have.

( With inputs from ANI )