Mamata rules out Bengal's division

Even as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ruled out dissolution of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and division of the state, life in the Darjeeling Hills Wednesday remained paralysed for the third day in response to the 72-hour shutdown called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

The GJM has decided to call on Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde in Delhi pressing for a separate state.

After the resignation of GJM chief Bimal Gurung as the chief executive of the GTA - an autonomous and elected hill development council - Banerjee said in Kolkata there was no question of dissolving the GTA or dividing the state.

"There is no question of dissolving the GTA. It was formed through a tripartite agreement. Moreover, the GJM had agreed to it. The elections to the GTA were duly held and its representatives elected and the hill council had started functioning," said Banerjee, adding that "Darjeeling is part and parcel of Bengal... There is no question of division".

Spurred by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) decision Tuesday to endorse statehood for Telangana, the GJM declared it would intensify the movement and announced an indefinite shutdown from Saturday for the creation of Gorkhaland, a state to be carved out of parts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts of northern West Bengal.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told IANS: "She (Banerjee) has the right to say whatever she wants, but Gorkhaland was never a part of Bengal. Creation of Gorkhaland will not be by division of Bengal, but only reorganisation of the state."

The GJM held an emergency central committee meeting in Darjeeling Wednesday and announced that the rest of its members in the GTA would resign. A delegation led by party spokesperson Harka Bahadur Chettri will leave for Delhi Friday to meet Shinde to voice their demand for a separate state.

"Our chief executive's (Gurung) resignation has been accepted and soon the other GTA members will resign. We will go to Delhi Friday and meet the home minister and others with our demands," said Giri.

He refused to read much into Banerjee cautioning the GJM against indulging in politics at the cost of the hills' economy.

Meanwhile, the last day of the 72-hour shutdown continued to be marked by closed markets and educational institutions and minimal vehicular traffic. However, there were no untoward incidents.

The GJM has asked people to stock provisions and tourists and students to leave for the plains by Friday.

The Gorkhaland movement has left many dead over the past two decades, besides affecting the region's economy based on tea, timber and tourism.

On July 18, 2011, a tripartite agreement was signed between the GJM and the state and central governments for setting up the GTA, armed with more powers than its predecessor, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council formed in the late 1980s.

The GJM now runs the GTA after sweeping its maiden elections in July 2012.