Temujin Khaghan Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 India new 'Gorkha' state talks begin By Subir Bhaumik BBC News, Calcutta The agitation for a new state has led to widespread violence in the hills A meeting called by the Indian government to discuss the creation of a separate state in the tea-producing Darjeeling hills has begun. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is demanding a separate state and fairer treatment for Darjeeling's Nepali-speaking Gorkha community. The movement got a boost after the Indian government announced a new state of Telangana earlier this month. Gorkha volunteers ended a protest fast ahead of the talks. This followed an appeal by the federal Home Minister P Chidambaram. "We responded to his appeal to create an appropriate atmosphere for the talks," GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said. The Indian government is represented by the country's home secretary GK Pillai and the West Bengal government by its chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti in the tri-partite talks. 'Out of question' "We only want to discuss how a separate Gorkha state can be created. Nothing else. Ours is as old a demand as Telangana and this is our last battle," Mr Giri said. But there was no indication that either the Indian government or that of West Bengal would accept the demand for a separate Gorkha state. "All such contentious issues can be resolved by discussions. But nobody should try to impose their agenda on the others," Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said. "A separate state will not really help the Gorkhas." There have been demonstrations demanding a separate state West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya has said the government was willing to give "more autonomy" to Darjeeling. "But a separate Gorkhaland is out of question," he said. Thousands of GJM supporters thronged the venue of the talks in Darjeeling after offering prayers in local temples and monasteries. Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in anticipation of trouble if the talks fail. The Gorkhas in Darjeeling ran a long campaign for a separate state in the 1980s but then settled for considerable autonomy. But now their leaders say the autonomy deal has not worked and they blame the Left coalition government of West Bengal for its failure. The last three new states in India were formed in 2000 - Chhattisgarh was created out of eastern Madhya Pradesh; Uttarakhand was created out of the hilly areas of northern Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand was carved from Bihar's southern districts. ===================================================== from bbc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee_rules Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Who will pay for street patroling/vigilante's in that state? oooh Shaabji! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomainK Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Can I turn my flat into a state? My bedroom will be the capital. And yes, say no and there will be violence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temujin Khaghan Posted December 21, 2009 Author Share Posted December 21, 2009 Can I turn my flat into a state? My bedroom will be the capital. And yes, say no and there will be violence. yeah dont eat for 2 days... and the matter will be discussed in the parliament.:two_thumbs_up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THX_1138 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 whats wrong with separate states? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gs Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 whats wrong with separate states? It will create another set of bureaucrats and state govt/politcians. Dont we have enough of that already?!?! Some states have hundreds of MLAs!!!! Its a criminal waste of tax payers money. Apart from these, dont see anything changing remarkably for the good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Blaster Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Wtf? Nothing better to do huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomainK Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 yeah dont eat for 2 days... and the matter will be discussed in the parliament.:two_thumbs_up: I haven't fed my cat for 2 days. So that should amount to a hunger strike. The prime minister can come and give him some orange juice with an approval for my new state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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