Hills get window to shop and stock-up – Morcha pill for public

Morcha supporters at a rally at Thana Dara in Kalimpong on Wednesday. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Darjeeling, June 11: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has announced a two- day relaxation of its indefinite shutdown from 6pm today till 6am on Saturday, keeping in mind the depleting food-stocks in hill homes and tourists who are still stranded across Darjeeling.

The move is seen by observers as an attempt to keep in check public frustration against the sudden turn of events and uncertainty about the future. The Morcha’s unexpected call for an indefinite bandh across the Darjeeling hills on Monday had left most residents with little time to stock up their larders.

“A lot of tourists are still stranded in various places. Our fight is not against them, but against the Bengal government. I do not want to keep our people hungry while I eat kheer (cream). So we have decided to relax the indefinite strike from 6pm today till 6am on Saturday,” Morcha president Bimal Gurung said in Darjeeling today.

The Morcha has recently revived the demand for a separate state in the hills. The party has vowed to continue with the bandh until the state government and the Centre initiate talks on statehood.

“Gorkhaland will be a reality by 2010,” Gurung reiterated today.

The Morcha chief appeared unhappy with the way taxi drivers in Darjeeling had taken advantage of the flash shutdown call to overcharge tourists, who were asked to leave the hills.

“For more than one-and-a-half months, I had suspended most of my agitation plans just to ensure that the transport people and others could earn during the tourist season. I am very sad to learn that you have charged about Rs 5,000 for each ride to Siliguri (on Monday). You have disgraced us by one single act,” said Gurung.

“You have not shown your sincerity to the demand for Gorkhaland, or else you would have volunteered to take the tourists to Siliguri for free,” the Morcha chief said.

The Morcha has also issued clear instructions to the business community not to overprice commodities during the three-day relaxation of the bandh.

“It is true that they might not have enough stocks. They should, however, refrain from overpricing goods, failing which we shall take action against the shopkeepers,” said Amar Lama, a central committee leader of the Morcha.

The party that had started its movement by invoking “Gandhigiri” today reminded its supporters not to deviate from the Morcha principle.

“We should not go in for any confrontation with police. If the state government wants to deploy the CRPF, let them come to the hills. We must welcome them with khadas (traditional silk scarves) and show them that we are not toeing the 1986 (Gorkhaland agitation) line,” said Gurung.

During the agitation in the eighties, Subash Ghisingh and his party, the GNLF, had led an armed resistance to government measures. [The Telegraph]