The meeting will be held at Gymkhana Club in Darjeeling at 10 am. Neither the CPM nor the GNLF has been invited for the meeting. GJM spokesperson Roshan Giri said,

“District-level political party leaders are invited to the meeting, including the Trinamool Congress, Forward Bloc, RSP, CPI and others.”

He said that a resolution regarding statehood for Gorkhaland would be placed during the meeting.

The GJM, however, also expressed its keenness to sit for tripartite talks with the Centre. “We are ready for unconditional talks with the Union Government, but our strike will continue,” said a GJM leader.

The GJM, meanwhile, asked people in Darjeeling Hills to keep food stock for at least 45 days in the view of the indefinite bandh call given from Monday evening. GJM supporters blocked several entry points in Darjeeling hills. Shops and business establishments were shut down by the evening.

Roshan Giri told The Indian Express, “Ours is an indefinite bandh. We cannot predict how long it will last. Our president has asked people to keep ration stocks ready for at least 45 days.”

The plains, however, including Siliguri, have been exempted from the bandh. The state government has made tight security arrangements in Darjeeling and surrounding areas. IG (North Bengal) K L Tamta said: “Police contingents are deployed in the hills and the surrounding areas. Though Siliguri is exempted from the bandh, we are not taking any chances.”