Kolkata, Jan 24 (IANS): A fresh movement demanding a separate Gorkhaland state in the hills of Darjeeling will now be organised by the newly-formed political alliance combining Hamro Party's Ajay Edwards, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)'s Bimal Gurung and estranged Trinamool Congress leader Binoy Tamang and the blueprint for the fresh stir will be finalised on February 5.
Before that, GJM chief Gurung will be officially withdrawing himself and his party from the 2012 Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) pact where he was signatory along with the Union and West Bengal governments.
"I will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union Home Secretary and the state Home Secretary conveying my decision to withdraw from the GTA pact. I will also demand for immediate scrapping of the GTA pact," he said on Tuesday.
Tamang told media persons that on Monday there was a seminar on sa eparate state which was attended by all political forces from the hills besides him, Gurung, and Edwards. "All have agreed on the point that separate Gorkhaland state is the legitimate demand of the people of the hills. We want a separate state. We also have felt the necessity of getting united over this demand," he said.
Edwards said that he was quite young when the initial movement over the separate Gorkhaland state started. "However, even then I could feel the sentiment of the people of the hills over the separate Gorkhaland state. So, we will be moving forward together in support of that demand," he said.
According to Gurung, they will go as far as possible in spearheading the movement in demand of a separate Gorkhaland state. "But I can assure that our movement will be peaceful. We will have to keep our pressure on the Union government since ultimately it will be the implementing authority. Our common goal now is separate Gorkhaland state," he said.
Besides the hill area in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, certain areas of Terai and Dooars region in the plains have also been included in the proposed map for separate Gorkhaland state.
On the other hand, West Bengal Power Minister, Arup Biswas, who is the Trinamool Congress's observer for Darjeeling, said that under no circumstance, will the state government succumb to any pressure regarding the division of the state.