Interlocutor meets Gandhi ahead of Gorkha talks

Lt Gen. (retd) Vijay Madan who has been appointed interlocutor between the state government and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM),which is spearheading for a separate state of Gorkhaland,today met Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Minister for Urban Development Ashok Bhattacharya and discussed the issue with them.

Madan has initiated discussions ahead of the tripartite talks between the Centre,the state government and the GJM to be held in Darjeeling on December 21.  “The talks were constructive and fruitful and I am impressed. The state government is sincere and wants an amicable solution to this problem. I am an interlocutor and my job is to find the common ground between the two. I believe no problem in the world is insoluble if both sides are sincere,” Madan said.

He said after talking to all concerned,he would submit his report to the central government. “Now,it is for the bureaucrats to dress it up and the government to take a decision on this,” Madan said.

Tomorrow,Madan is going to Dooars where he will talk to leaders of the Adivasi Vikas Parishad,which is also agitating for demands like development of the area. On December 3,he will go to Darjeeling where he will hold talks with the leaders of GJM.

Madan has already visited Darjeeling twice before and had talks with top GJM leadership including its president Bimal Gurung.

Yesterday,he met Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who apprised him of what the state government has done for the Hills.