KOLKATA: In a setback for Trinamool Congress, Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) president and Subhash Ghising's son Mann Ghising resigned from the post of Hill Area Development Committee (HADC) and Minister of State (MoS) rank accorded by the state government on Friday.
In the resignation letter submitted to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee through fax on the birthday of Subhash Ghising on Friday, which was read out to the media by GNLF spokesperson Neeraj Zimba, Mann Ghisingh wrote: "The HADC was formed for development of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts but due to various reasons and circumstances it failed to do so. In view of the present political situation and popular sentiment of hill areas, I hereby resign from the post of chairman of HADC and give up the rank of Minister of State with immediate effect."
He was made the HADC chairperson after the end of 105-day Gorkhaland agitation last year and was accorded the MoS rank in June this year. "The GNLF party firmly believes in a long-lasting credible political solution to the chronic political crisis of Darjeeling Hills and just providing an economic solution will not solve the problems of the long-suffering Gorkhas. It is, therefore, a request of GNLF to give continuity to the ongoing bipartite process by inviting all stakeholders, big and small. GNLF will extend all support to you for finding a democratic solution to statehood demand which is acceptable to the people of hills," he added.