Old Timer’s ‘Fast to death threat’ unlikely to stop Gorkhaland stir

Binagudi, Jalpaiguri: There’s a ‘Gandhian’ about to do a fast unto death so that the Gorkhaland agitation will be withdrawn.

A local veteran Freedom Fighter Dr. Haripad Pal has announced here that he will be fasting unto death against the perceived ‘conspiracy of the Central Government for dividing Bengal’. He’s opposed to the demand for the separate state of Gorkhaland.

Speaking to the local press,  he said that he was against the spread of instablity and violence in the Dooars Terai due to the Gorkhaland Movement being pursued in the hills.

Hari Pal wants to fast unto death against Gorkhaland

He said that the present instability that had been witnessed in the hills was due to the conspiracy hatched by the Central Government which was keen on dividing Bengal. He said that the persistent Gorkhaland Movement has been causing a great deal of ‘nuisance and instability’ to the adjoining Dooars Terai region.

The locals say that Mr Pal should realize that he’s no Mahatma Gandhi, and that the situation in 2013 is such that this sort of sentimental blackmail won’t work.

If Irom Sharmila can be force fed and kept alive, well, then good luck to the old gentleman. Either he’ll have to give up, or the government will have to step in.

Dr. Pal’s decision will of course be played up by the Trinamool chaps, and they will try to add to the instability in Binagudi, but apart from that, it will have no effect on the people of Darjeeling who want their state, and are in no mood to back down.

As the second day of the indefinite strike called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) continued in Darjeeling amid heightened tension, the government ruling the neighbouring state of Sikkim braced for impact, some of which had already been felt during the 72-hour strike GJM had called last week.

With the mountain state’s lifeline, National Highway-31A, which connects Sikkim to West Bengal, being frequently blocked by GJM demonstrators, the Sikkim government has decided to start helicopter services from Gangtok to Bagdogra to ensure steady flow of resources and an entry-exit point in case of emergencies.

The decision was taken at a high-level coordination meeting at the Sikkim state secretariat in capital Gangtok on Saturday.

Even on Sunday, senior government officials were working away from office, keeping an eye on the situation and ensuring that there were no deadlocks, said a senior official from the Sikkim government.

While supplies to markets in Gangtok have already become limited due to the disturbance last week and a spate of strikes in northern Bengal, hoarding has become a common feature in Sikkim, which is largely dependent on Bengal for its basic supplies and utilities.

Meanwhile, GJM agitators shut down three hydel-power plants.

Posted by NewsNET Desk on August 5, 2013. Filed under Breaking News,Sikkim. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.