Jaswant Singh raises Gorkhaland issue
Senior BJP leader and MP from Darjeeling, Jaswant Singh, has raised the demand for the creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland. Singh said he would raise this demand in the forthcoming tripartite talks.
DARJEELING MP and senior BJP leader, Jaswant Singh, has demanded the creation of a separate Gorkhaland, to give political and economic rights to the locals, in keeping with the strategic location of the area.“Gorkhaland is a part of India and the demand (of the locals) is for a small state within India,” Singh said at a function held at New Delhi, to release a booklet 'Why Gorkhaland?'
The senior BJP leader said that, in principle, his party favoured smaller states and its election manifesto this year promised carving out a separate Gorkhaland from West Bengal. The manifesto stated that: “We will sympathetically examine and appropriately consider the long-pending demands of the Gorkhas, the Adivasis and other people of Darjeeling district and the Dooars region.” Singh, who contested from Darjeeling as a BJP candidate with the support of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, said that the government must realise the strategic importance of the constituency and its adjoining areas, as it shares international borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal.
The BJP leader said he had met Home Minister P Chidambaram and other union ministers, to discuss the formation of Gorkhaland, but that there was a lack of initiative from the UPA Government. “I have met Chidambaram not once, but on several occasions (to discuss the issue of Gorkhaland),” he said. Singh said he would raise this demand in the forthcoming tripartite talks between the Centre, the government of West Bengal and the GJMM. GJMM General Secretary Roshan Giri, said that it was for the first time that their voice was being heard at the national level.
The BJP leader said he had met Home Minister P Chidambaram and other union ministers, to discuss the formation of Gorkhaland, but that there was a lack of initiative from the UPA Government. “I have met Chidambaram not once, but on several occasions (to discuss the issue of Gorkhaland),” he said. Singh said he would raise this demand in the forthcoming tripartite talks between the Centre, the government of West Bengal and the GJMM. GJMM General Secretary Roshan Giri, said that it was for the first time that their voice was being heard at the national level.
 | Previous Post |
| Next Post |  |
Login
 Login through Social ID
|
Not finding what you are looking for? Search here.
