GJM says it will directly deal with Centre on Gorkhaland

With its proposal for a separate state of Gorkhaland being rejected outright by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Monday said it would now deal directly with the Centre.
GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri said Bhattacharjee's proposal for greater autonomy, made in a meeting with the GJM in Kolkata three days back, was "meaningless and frustrating" because their movement was aimed at statehood and "nothing less".
However, Giri said, "We will keep our doors open for talks to be initiated by the Left Front government."
Meanwhile, GJM president Bimal Gurung yesterday demanded that the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council be dissolved immediately, arguing it had hindered the original demand for a state for the Gorkhas.
"However, as GJM was not officially empowered to dissolve the DGHC, a strategy to make it non-functional would be taken up in the central committee meeting of the party in a day or two."
Giri said all casual workers of the hill body would be asked to quit their jobs. A few permanent employees on deputation would be asked to return to their original postings virtually leaving the DGHC defunct.
Gurung's statement has set alarm bells ringing through the hills as 9,000 people were directly or indirectly employed in the DGHC. (The Hindu)