By IANS,
Darjeeling : The chief of the pro-Gorkhaland Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Sunday met President Pranab Mukherjee during the latter’s visit to West Bengal’s Darjeeling and discussed several issues, including release of the Marcha’s jailed activists.
“GJM chief Bimal Gurung today (Sunday) met the president and discussed several issues, the main of which are release of all our leaders and supporters who have been arrested by the state government,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said.
Giri said the issues discussed were inclusion of reserve forests under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) – the autonomous hill council – grant of the Scheduled Tribes status to the Gorkhas of Darjeeling and setting up of a central university in the hill city.
Giri described Gurung’s meeting with the president as “satisfactory”.
Mukherjee was in the city to inaugurate the 125th year celebrations of St. Joseph’s School, North Point.
After running an intensified separatist movement in the Darjeeling hills for several weeks, the GJM subsequently called truce with the Mamata Banerjee government of West Bengal, committing to work jointly with the government for development of the region.
Banerjee took a strong stand on the issue, ruling out division of the state. The administration cracked down on the movement, arresting over 1,000 GJM leaders and activists.