Raju Bista faces tough challenge within BJP in Darjeeling
Breaking the BJP’s tradition in Darjeeling, sitting MP Raju Bista has won the first round as his name was announced by the party as a candidate from Darjeeling LS constituency.
With the indefinite shutdown called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) entering 13th day, the outfit's supporters on Tuesday burnt the copies of the landmark Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) accord in Darjeeling hills.
The GTA accord was signed on 18 July 2011 between the Centre, Bengal government and GJM, paving the way for a semi-autonomous body to rule the hills.
The programme of burning of the agreement was announced by GJM president Bimal Gurung on 23 June.
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According to reports, the GJM had called for at least 43 public meeting across the districts to burn the GTA agreement as a mark of protest.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha decided to give a 12-hour relaxation for the Muslims to celebrate the festival during which they could use vehicles to go to the plains and meet their relatives.
Earlier in the day, the outfit's youth wing workers inflicted blows on themselves with tubelights as part of the their protest for a separate state.
Calling for hunger strike and self-immolation by youth workers to intensify the protest, the youth workers hit the street by breaking tubelights on their back.
A section of GJM leadership on Monday vowed to intensify their agitation though actions like "self-sacrifice" and 'fasting till death' and urged the Central government to start a dialogue about a separate Gorkhaland state.
"The Central government should immediately start dialogue on separate state of Gorkhaland," Prakash Gurung, President of the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha (GJYM), was quoted as saying by a news agency.
GJM chief Bimal Gurung on Friday had vowed to fight for "our community's revival" till death. Gurung had on 23 June resigned from the post of chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the police firing on the GJM supporters.
On Thursday, there will be an all-party meeting in the hills to formulate the next course of struggle.
(With inputs from agencies)
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