Gorkhaland agitation of high national priority: Jaswant New Delhi, Aug 6: As the indefinite bandh entered its fourth day today, Darjeeling MP and senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh today stressed the strategic importance of granting separate statehood to Gorkhaland and accused the Congress of giving in to the Telangana state demand for the sake of votes. “The demand for Gorkhaland is the oldest, most valid and most important demand for a new state because Darjeeling is the only part of the country which shares four international borders. Understand the importance of this fact—on one side is China, on the other are Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Chumbi Valley is also not far. Darjeeling is on top of what is known as the Chicken’s Neck, or the North Bengal corridor. Today if there is any prospect to stop the Bangladeshi infiltration into India, it is the creation of Gorkhaland,” Singh said. Saying that the situation in Darjeeling was a matter of great national concern, Singh said the agitation was of “high national priority”. Targeting the Mamata Banerjee- led West Bengal government, Singh criticised “the lapse in communication” by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in their communication with the citizens of the Darjeeling area. “The demand for Telangana was only 50 years old but the government gave it priority for the sake of votes. It is a saddening development. I appeal to the government and the media to take this demand for Gorkhaland to the people of this country,” Singh added. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has been on an indefinite shutdown since Tuesday, pressing their demand for Gorkhaland as a separate state to be carved out of parts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts of northern West Bengal.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 05:09:47 +0000
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