At last the Lok Sabha has cleared the creation of Telengana. It has given the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) renewed hope for a separate Gorkhaland. It had put the demand on the backburner after many months of agitation. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is committed to choking the agitation. A GJM delegation would hold talks with some Union Ministers in Delhi on the creation of Gorkhaland. These leaders have said that the passing of the Telengana Bill in the Lok Sabha has strengthened their demand. GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri has said that Darjeeling Nepalis now believe that Gorkhaland is possible. He has also said that the West Bengal government’s opposition to their demand would not be sustainable in the long run. It is now argued that the state has no role to play in settling the issue. Telengana has been created by the Centre and the Andhra Pradesh Assembly did not pass the Bill. Bimal Gurung has said that the Centre should consider their fair demand. The state’s consent is not necessary.
The situation has taken a U-turn. So far Mamata Banerjee maintained that settlement of the Darjeeling issue was in the lap of the state government. The tripartite approach was only a formality. The current peace in the hills is considered her own achievement. Bimal Gurung who had temporarily relented now says that it is the Centre’s business. Mamata Banerjee thinks that the Telengana Bill is illegal and opposes the partition of Andhra Pradesh. She has decided to take the matter to the President and even move court. No doubt she is so proactive because of the implications of the Telengana Bill for the Gorkhaland demand.
