Eyeing BJP revival, GJM revives Gorkhaland

The BJP's promise to create a separate Telangana within three months of getting elected has fuelled the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's aspiration of a separate state of Gorkhaland. In a closed-door meeting of the party held in Darjeeling on late Thursday night, all the leaders resolved "to fight for the separate state", terming the newly formed Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) as the "first step in achieving Gorkhaland".

The GJM leaders are of the opinion that if the BJP comes to power after the next general election due for 2014 and Telangana is carved out of Andhra Pradesh as promised, then they would pressurise the Central government for Gorkhaland in return for the support of the people of the Hills. It is to be noted that BJP leader Jaswant Singh is an MP from Darjeeling, who won after getting the backing from the GJM in the 2009 polls.

According to the insiders, GTA chief Bimal Gurung has directed party members to prepare themselves for the next course of action, which will be about achieving the separate state.

"We have taken a resolution to start Gorkhaland movement again and we will try to get maximum autonomy through the GTA. We are yet to get all the departments, but as soon as all our departments would start operating independently, we can act like a state," said an executive member of the GTA and a senior member of the GJM.

"Only we need to have the powers for being a state, which we do not have at present in the GTA agreement," the leader added.

Another senior GJM leader said they had never dropped the issue of Gorkhaland. "We have always closely watched the developments taking place over the Telangana issue. Once the Telengana state is carved out, we'll have to have Gorkhaland to have the support of our people," the leader added.

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