Ghising may revive demand for Gorkhaland

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April 11, 2005 22:14 IST

The Gorkha National Liberation Front chief Subhas Ghising has sent signals that he might revive the issue of a separate Gorkhaland in talks with the government.

GNLF's demand for an alternative to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and the progress of the probe into the February 2001 assassination attempt on Ghising would be on the agenda for talks in Delhi on April 14.

Ghising left for the national capital on Monday after an call from the Union Home Ministry.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee are also expected to take part in the talks.

Ghising, who is the caretaker of the DGHC after its term expired on March 25, however, did not elaborate on what he meant by an 'alternative' to the DGHC.

But GNLF leader Shanta Chhetri said alternative meant nothing less than a separate state of Gorkhaland, a demand Ghising has not voiced since the formation of the DGHC in 1988.

The progress of the Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the assassination attempt on Ghising has also been raised by the GNLF particularly as three of its councilors have been killed in an equal number of years.

Ghising said the West Bengal government had already made it clear that it had no objection to the DGHC being given constitutional recognition under the Sixth Schedule.

But, he said, "It is the state government's version, let us see what the Centre has to offer."

 

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