Chants of Gorkhaland interrupt Mamata speech in Darjeeling
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked out of the podium of a public meeting in Darjeeling on Tuesday after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters began to shout slogans demanding for a separate state of Gorkhaland state, moments after the CM said that “Darjeeling is a part of Bengal. The two are inseparable”.
As the GJM supporters began flashing placards and shouting slogans for a separate state of Gorkhaland, Mamata Banerjee tried to shout them down saying it was a “government programme and no political slogan should be raised to spoil the event”.
“Political slogans should be raised in political platforms. This will hamper the development of Darjeeling,” and angry Mamata warned the audience.
Amidst the growing din, the GJM leaders, who were on the podium, also began to walk out.
Later, speaking to mediapersons, GJM chief Bimal Gurung said: “There were political overtones when the Chief Minister said Darjeeling is part and parcel of Bengal and cannot be divided. Every time the CM visited Darjeeling, she inflicted pain on us in small measures by reminding us that Darjeeling is a part of Bengal. The Bengal CM may try to make her own political mileage out of such announcements, but she should have realised that such words hurt the sentiments of the Gorkhas.”
Asked if he was contemplating to resign from Gorkha Territorial Administration(GTA), Gurung, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the body, said: “I can step down any moment. No one should cling to the post permanently. However, the GTA
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