GRC stresses on Sikkim-Darjeeling unification

Gangtok, Jun 20: The Gorkha Rashtriya Congress (GRC) party today stressed on importance of Sikkim-Darjeeling unification on the context of the present political scenario.

While addressing a seminar, GRC president DK Bomjone urged the need for suggestions of the all political parties and associations about the unification issue.

He informed that the West Bengal government issued a white paper in 1986 in which they mentioned that Darjeeling as a part of Sikkim.

The Central government does not have any document proving that Darjeeling is part of West Bengal.This is a serious issue, hence, the GRC wants to focus on it, Bomjone said.

''We are raising this issue since four years because this is a genuine issue,'' he stated.

Mr Bomjone further stressed that since, historically Darjeeling was owned by Sikkim, when the latter was a Kingdom, only Sikkim government has the right to confer the status of Gorkhaland to the Darjeeling hills.

After unification, Sikkim will get 169 tea gardens, North Bengal University and even the North Bengal Medical college but the state government has to take the initiative, he stressed.

''People of Darjeeling hills want to be separated from the Bengal government and are struggling since the past 103 years to but lack of able leaders has eluded them this opportunity,'' Bomjone commented.

Similarly Biraj Adhikari president of Sikkim National Peoples Party said, ''There are some problems between Darjeeling and Sikkim because of which we could not unify with Darjeeling and people have negative feeling about the unification.''