Yechury urges Rajnath to convene tripartite meet over Darjeeling unrest

In the wake of the ongoing unrest in Darjeeling and Kalimpong following the West Bengal government's decision to make 'Bengali' language compulsory, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday wrote to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and urged him to convene a tripartite meeting of the central and state government representatives, along with those from the Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

Yechury's letter said, "Since July 8, eight people have died so far and many injured in police firings on protestors agitating against the state government's announcement of making Bengali a mandatory language. There are reports of serious violation of human rights due to a virtual economic blockage and even those who are in need of urgent medical treatment are unable to access hospital facilities."

Owing to this, Yechury stressed the need for an urgent tripartite meeting for the restoration of normalcy and peace in the area.

Darjeeling is witnessing unrest since June 12 when the GJM announced an indefinite strike to protest against the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's decision to make Bengali compulsory for all schools in the state.

Mamata Banerjee had urged the GJM to resolve their issues over talks at the all party meeting held in Siliguri. However, the GJM did not participate in the meeting.

The protestors are also asking for a separate Gorkhaland, a long pending demand of the people of the hills.