Siliguri, Aug. 24:
The Centre has constituted a committee to draft an agreement and finalise the modalities for a “permanent political solution” to the long-standing Gorkha identity issue in the Darjeeling hills and adjoining areas of West Bengal.
The decision followed a tripartite meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and attended by Gorkha leaders, the West Bengal government and other stakeholders at Sukna in the Darjeeling foothills.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said the meeting discussed the demands of the hill population relating to a distinct identity, a permanent political solution and recognition under the Constitution.
The committee will be headed by Pankaj Kumar Singh, former deputy national security adviser and the Centre’s interlocutor for the Darjeeling hills, Dooars and Terai.
The committee will work on the details of a final agreement aimed at providing a permanent political solution for the people of the hill areas within the framework of the Constitution.
Shah also assured representatives that the Centre would sympathetically consider other demands of the community and said adequate central funding would be provided to address pending issues.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, Gorkha National Liberation Front chief Mann Ghisingh, BJP MPs and MLAs from the hills and senior state officials attended the meeting.
The meeting was held on the anniversary of the signing of the 1988 Gorkha Accord between the Centre, the West Bengal government and the GNLF. The accord had resulted in the creation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council following a violent agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state.
The latest initiative is aimed at taking forward the Centre’s commitment to finding a long-term political settlement to the demands of the Gorkha community.