No question of compromise on territory: GJM

Talking tough, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today said it won't compromise on the territory it has marked out in its proposal for a regional authority.

GJM's stand came a day after Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's assertion that he expected a 'forward movement' in finding a solution to the Darjeeling problem in the next round of tripartite talks.

"We will not compromise on the territory marked out by the Morcha in its proposal for the region. It should comprise the Darjeeling district including Siliguri in the plains and adjoining Dooars and Terai," GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told PTI from Darjeeling.

He said the regional authority must also have the legislative and administrative jurisdiction over panchayats and municipalities besides judicial powers. Giri, who made this comment when asked to react on Bhattacharjee's observation in Siliguri yesterday, said the proposed regional authority would be only an interim arrangement till December 31, 2011.

"We will not compromise on our demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland curved out from West Bengal," he said.

CPI-M sources today quoted Bhattacharjee as saying in Siliguri yesterday that the state government had received the proposal given on behalf of the GJM.

The government was examining it and it would spell out its stand in the next tripartite meeting scheduled for May.

The sources also quoted Bhattacharjee as saying that efforts to find out a solution to the problem should be taken forward.

The Centre on May 18 held the fifth round of tripartite talks with the GJM which presented a blueprint for an interim regional authority to be constituted for Darjeeling and some areas around it.

According to the plan mooted by GJM, the regional authority should have no interference from West Bengal government besides having powers on law and order and a body like a state assembly, official sources said.

The regional authority may be named either Gorkhaland Regional Authority or the Darjeeling and Dooars Regional Authority, the sources said.