GJM hopeful of tripartite talks over Gorkhaland

With the central government assuring it of convening tripartite talks, the GJM, which is spearheading a separatist movement in West Bengal's Darjeeling hills, Saturday expressed hope the dialogue would resolve the Gorkhaland issue.

After Governor M.K. Narayanan Saturday said he couldn't "see any problem regarding the tripartite talks", Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) general secretary Roshan Giri said his party was hopeful of arriving at a solution to their long-standing demand of a separate Gorkhaland state to be carved out of West Bengal.

GJM supremo Bimal Gurung has said that Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has informed him that the central government has convened tripartite talks Oct 23.

During the day, Gurung met Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Darjeeling Jaswant Singh to discuss the Gorkhaland issue.

Meanwhile, a court denied bail to jailed Morcha leader Benoy Tamang yet again. He along with over 1,000 GJM leaders and activists have been arrested following a crack down on the Morcha led separatist movement by the Mamata Banerjee led state government.

Tamang was earlier elected as the new chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration - the autonomous hill council. Being behind bars, he is yet to take charge.

The GTA was created July 18, 2011 via a tripartite agreement between the Gorkha outfit and the state and central governments.

However, the GJM has maintained that the GTA was "not autonomous" and will be "repealed at an appropriate time".

After the GJM renewed its separatist movement late August, its chief Gurung resigned as the chief executive of the GTA. Tamang was later appointed in his place.