The GJM insisted on holding a rally in Siliguri town in furtherance of its demand for a separate Gorkhaland. The administration, on the other hand, observed that considering the ongoing communal tension in the area any such rally is fraught with the danger of situation going out of control. Notably, in a similar incident military had to be called out when situation had gone out of control a few months ago.
The GJM leaders, however, said, “It is well within the democratic rights of the people of Darjeeling to hold a rally in Siliguri that has a substantial Nepali population.” Roshan Giri and Amar Lama, the two GJM leaders who attended the today’s meeting said that they would not accept the ban on holding a rally in Siliguri and would go for a hunger strike in Siliguri and in the subdivisions. The GJM would soon convene a meeting of its leaders and take a decision on the issue, said Amar Lama.
After ousting the Gorkha National Liberation Front(GNLF) chief Subash Ghisingh from the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council(DGHC) in March this year, the GJM has begun a fresh agitation for a separate Gorkhaland. One of the key issues that separated the GNLF and the GJM is that the latter has been demanding the inclusion of Dooars and Siliguri within the proposed Gorkha state.