Gorkhaland hungerstrike enters second day

Darjeeling, Dec 12 A fast-unto-death protest by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) for a separate state of Gorkhaland entered its second day on Saturday even as the Darjeeling hill leaders said they would continue a democratic movement to achieve their goal.

'If the Telangana demand can be met why not our over 100 year old demand be met? We are fighting this time to realize a Gorkhaland,' GJM president Bimal Gurung said.

GJM leader Amar Lama said Gorkhaland was never under West Bengal in the past and hence the statehood would not mean a division of Bengal once again.

The Gorkhas, who are ethnic Nepalis, have got a fresh impetus to renew its statehood demand and they began their agitation on Friday with an indefinite fast-unto-death by 105 Gorkha Janmukti Manch (GJM) activists in the hills and the foothills.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri went to Delhi to mobilize support for Gorkhaland.

While the tourists have started leaving Darjeeling hills, a 96-hour-shutdown called by GJM stared the region from Dec 14.

The agitation will affect the tourist season in Darjeeling where people from India and abroad flock.

Processions are a regular occurrence in Darjeeling once again.

In Darjeeling after the Telangana announcement of the centre, political activity peaked up with GJM president Bimal Gurung announcing a series of programmes.

The Gorkhaland movement that began in the 1980s had ended with a truce between hill leader Subhash Ghising and New Delhi after he accepted limited autonomy in 1988 with a new Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).

But in recent years the movement was reignited by the Gorkhas with new leaders who raised fresh demand for a state.

Darjeeling is a geo-politically important region for India as it lies on or close to the borders of China, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.