GJM president Bimal Gurung today called for a non-violent movement to press for their demand of “interim set-up” and gave the bandh call in a public meeting at Sukna in Darjeeling district.

Political commentators said GJM leaders called the bandh to revive the movement and put pressure on the state and Central governments to arrange the political-level tripartite talks for defining the territory for the proposed interim council.

Gurung has been carrying out a “march for public contacts” for the past one month to restore GJM support base.

Recently, the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists and All India Gorkha League, which supported GJM in their movement for the separate state of Gorkhaland, have deserted them after Gurung acceded to the proposal of “interim council.”

Front against GJM

Siliguri: Eight parties, including CPRM, All India Gorkha League, GNLF(C), Gorkha Rashtriya Congress, Sikkim National Front, Sikim-Darjeeling Ekikaran Manch, BJP and Trinamool Congress, have decided to join hands to restore peace in Darjeeling hills. Dawa Sherpa, one of the six secretaries of the BJP in West Bengal, was made the convenor of the Democratic Front. The decision was taken at a meeting on Saturday where the parties unanimously demanded that Gokhaland Personnel, the parallel police of GJM, should be dismantled. It was also decided that the state government and the Centre should immediately stop discussions on GJM’s proposal for interim set-up.

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