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Tag: Darjeeling

  • In view of Class 10 board exams, street boycott call in Darjeeling suspended

    In view of Class 10 board exams, street boycott call in Darjeeling suspended

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    Kolkata: The Hamro Party founded by Ajay Edwards on Wednesday suspended the call for street boycott in Darjeeling on Thursday in view of the Class 10 examinations being conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Examination (WBBSE) starting on that day.

    Explaining the rationale behind suspending the boycott call for the time-being, a Hamro Party leader said that the call for boycott of streets was being interpreted by the ruling Trinamool Congress and the administration as equivalent to a strike, which was creating confusion among the people, especially the examinees and their guardians.

    Hence, to allay the fear on this count, the boycott call has been withdrawn.

    The call for boycott of streets for 12 hours on Thursday was given by Hamro Party, supported by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and estranged Trinamool leader Binoy Tamang in support of the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state, as well as condemning the recent special motion that was passed in the state Assembly against attempts to divide the state.

    On Tuesday, Edwards, Gurung and six other members of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) staged a 24-hour fasting agitation in support of the separate statehood demand.

    From that agitation dais, Edwards gave the 12-hour ‘boycott the streets’ call.

    Soon after that call was given, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that her government will not tolerate such strike attempts at any cost.

    She had also threatened strong administrative and police action if there were attempts to observe the strike in demand of division of the state.

    Recently, a new triangular political equation has evolved as GJM chief Bimal Gurung, Binoy Tamang and Ajay Edwards have come together raising fresh demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.

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    #view #Class #board #exams #street #boycott #call #Darjeeling #suspended

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Darjeeling politics: Bengal govt to grant land deeds to tea garden workers

    Darjeeling politics: Bengal govt to grant land deeds to tea garden workers

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    Kolkata: As the fresh political equation in the hills of Darjeeling involving the trio of Bimal Gurung, Ajay Edwards and Binoy Tamang is becoming a major threat to the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM)-Trinamool Congress alliance, quick granting of land deeds to the people of the hills is going to be the tool for the later to combat the trio.

    After returning to the hills on Friday from Kolkata after a series of meetings with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other ministers of the state cabinet, the BGPM chief and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)’s chief executive Anit Thapa told the media persons that the state government has assured him of quick beginning and completion of the process of granting of prajapattas (land deeds) to the tea garden workers residing on the land leased by the garden owners from the state government.

    “The process of the review on this count will be completed in the next 10 days, following which the distribution of the prajapattas will start. The chief minister has personally assured me on this count. This is great news for the tea garden workers, whose demand for prajapattas was long standing,” Thapa told mediapersons.

    It was learnt that since the majority of the tea gardens are located on land leased by the state government, there were some technical problems in granting land deeds to the workers residing there.

    Before every election, there had been promises of granting land deeds in the hills, which were hardly fulfilled.

    However, estranged Trinamool Congress leader, Binay Tamang claimed that this promise of granting of land deeds was yet another gimmick by the state government and BGPM before the panchayat polls this year.

    Hamro Party founder Ajay Edwards too said that since GTA has failed in fulfilling each and every promise it made before, the people of the hills have no trust in the fresh promise, on granting of land deeds.

    “What GTA and the state government has done is sheer politics and playing with the sentiments of the tea garden workers,” he said.

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    #Darjeeling #politics #Bengal #govt #grant #land #deeds #tea #garden #workers

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )