Lepchas now fast unto death against ‘politics’ over council

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Wednesday called a bandh in the Hills on February 9 to protest the state government’s decision to set up a separate development council for the Lepchas. The GJM had vehemently opposed the idea terming it as an attempt by the government to divide and rule the Hills. However, the Trinamool Congress government went ahead and gave nod to the setting up of the council, which will have its headquarters in Kalimpong.

Bhupinder Lepcha, convener of Lepcha Rights Movement, said, “We will sacrifice our lives here in Kalimpong. We have been demanding it for several years. But now with a political interest, the government has approved the council. The government and and the political parties of the Hills (read GJM) are doing unnecessary politics over our identity and our lives. We do not have a demand. We have realized that our lives do not have value in the state. And that is why we want to sacrifice our lives through hunger strike.”

Stating that the Lepcha community has never demanded for a separate territory, the leader said: “We are innocent people and we are not into politics. We only wanted right to education, employment guarantee and preservation of our culture. But we are seeing

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