Tamang urges Bengal Governor to take up issue of tripartite talks with centre

Chairman of Board of Administrators (BoA) for Darjeeling Binay Tamang on Sunday apprised West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi about the situation in the northern hills including the recent large haul of arms and ammunition and urged him to facilitate tripartite talks on the knotty issue by taking up the matter with the central government.

Tamang, who was recently expelled from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha but continued to hold considerable influence over a substantial section of the party rank and file, called on Tripathi at the Raj Bhavan during the day.

He was accompanied by BoA Vice Chairman Anit Thapa, who is also an axed GJM leader.

"We apprised the governor about the situation in Darjeeling. We also told him about the recovery of large cache of arms and ammunition," Tamang told reporters after coming out of the Raj Bhavan here.

The duo also informed Tripathi about tardy pace of restoration of peace in the hills and expressed their keenness to discuss the Darjeeling issue with the centre.

"We urged him to apprise the centre about the situation," Tamang said two days after a policeman was killed and four other policemen were injured in a clash with GJM workers having allegiance to its president Bimal Gurung.

"We told him that the centre must intervene as soon as possible, and call us for talks on all the pending issues, including Gorkhaland," he said.

He said the tripartite talks should start considering the strategic location of the hills which forms the country's borders with Bhutan and Nepal.

Tamang on Friday met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat Nabanna.

He will on Monday take part in the official meeting on Darjeeling issue. Banerjee will also be present during the deliberations.

With the term of the hill development body Gorkhaland Territorial Administration expiring on June 30, the state government recently constituted a nine-member Board of Administrators headed by Tamang to oversee development of the region.

--IANS

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