Siliguri, April 10: Over 5,000 residents of the town today affirmed that even if a separate state of Gorkhaland is created in future, Siliguri can never be a part of it.
The CPM-controlled Siliguri Municipal Corporation had organised a civic convention at Kanchenjunga Stadium, where the residents had assembled. They resolved that dialogue was the solution to the various problems in the Darjeeling hills.
“In the absence of peace, the entire development process gets halted. Some states in the Northeast are examples of this,” said Asok Bhattacharya, the Siliguri MLA and Bengal urban development minister. [Inset: Policemen patrol the Darjeeling More area]
The minister, without naming any organisation, said “ominous” forces were taking advantage of the tension in the region to raise their heads and create trouble between the hills and the plains. Read the rest of this entry »
