DARJEELING: The agitators demanding a a separate state of Gorkhaland out of West Bengal today decided to launch an indefinite hunger strike from July 15, while continuing with the shutdown in Darjeeling hills.
The decision to start an additional agitational measure was taken in an all patty meeting here that lasted for over four hours. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha secretary Binay Tamang told reporters after the meeting that not only they would continue the indefinite shutdown, but leaders of all hill parties would start an indefinite hunger strike at Chowrasta from July 15.
The all-party meeting, which witnessed heated arguments over the future strategy by the stakeholders, unanimously agreed in favour of an indefinite hunger strike over the demand for Gorkhaland.
The meeting also decided to continue with the indefinite shutdown which entered its 27th day today. Today's all-party meeting is the second meeting of the newly-formed Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC).
It has 30 members who are representatives of all hill-based parties like GJM, GNLF, JAP and Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh. The GMCC is headed by a member of GJM. "The GMCC has also decided that all development boards chairmen and vice-chairmen will be given a deadline till July 14 to resign from all such boards in the hills.
We also demand that a CBI inquiry be conducted into all incidents of violence and killing of seven of our GJM supporters in police firing," Tamang said. The meeting was held at a hostel in the Mirik sub- division of Darjeeling hills.