GJM chief Bimal Gurung meets Mamata

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supremo Bimal Gurung Monday met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and discussed several issues including transfer of several department to the GTA - the GJM administered autonomous hill council.

Gurung, the chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), called on Banerjee at the state secretariat where they held talks for over an hour.

"It was a courtesy call. There are some pending cases against GJM activists and we urged Banerjee to initiate political process of discussions for withdrawal of those cases," Gurung told media persons after the meeting.

The GJM which has been demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of parts of Darjeeling and its neighbouring Jalpaiguri district, has been calling for withdrawal of cases slapped by the administration on GJM activists during the numerous agitations by the Gorkha outfit.

The GJM has also been holding talks in Delhi with central Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and ministers including union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking for the setting up a committee to examine the demand for Gorkhaland.

"The other issue was transfer of authority of certain departments, like finance and transport to the GTA," added Gurung.

Armed with more powers than its predecessor - the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council formed in the late 1980s - the GTA was created July 18, 2011 via a tripartite between the GJM and the state and central governments.

While most the government departments concerning the Darjeeling hills are administered by the GTA, the GJM has been asking the transfer of all the government departments to the hill council.