Hundreds of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters led by party chief Bimal Gurung waved black flags and burnt effigy of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as they brought out a protest rally in Darjeeling district demanding the state government come up with a written circular about not making Bengali compulsory in the hills.
Slogans like "Didi go back" were heard from the rally, held a day after Banerjee accused the GJM-run Gorkhaland Territorial Administration - the development body in the north Bengal hills - of "spreading falsehood" about "imposition" of Bengali language.
Stating that the people of the hills are with them, Gurung claimed their party members would resign from the semi-autonomous administrative body soon and fight for the cause of the separate state of Gorkhaland.
"The people of the hills are still with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha. We are unitedly fighting for Gorkhaland.
"Within the next 15-20 days, our board members will resign from the GTA and fight for the cause of Gorkhaland. We will also take forward our protest against the recent dispute on the language issue," he said.
The GJM leader hinted that the situation can become more hostile in the coming days.
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"Let alone bandh (shutdown) in the hills, anything can happen here in the present situation. Nothing can be said in this regard," he warned.
On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress activists took out a rally in adjoining Kurseong district demanding arrests of the culprits in the murder of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League chief Madan Tamang in 2010.
Tamang, a prominent hill leader opposed to the GJM, was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Darjeeling on May 21, 2010 while he was preparing for a public rally.
Senior GJM leaders including Gurung have been charged in the case. Gurung however, was given bail by the Calcutta High Court.
Banerjee on Monday viciously attacked the GJM claiming they are spreading lies about government's new three language policy and trying to create a divide between Bengali and Nepali communities in the hills. She also vowed to take action against the GTA board members if a special audit ordered by her government revealed that money had been misused.
The demand for Gorkhaland - to be carved out of the northern Bengal hills - was first raised by the Gorkha National Liberation Front in the 1980s. The GJM took centre stage from around 2008, by nudging out the GNLF. The movement has left many dead over the past three decades, besides affecting the region's economy based on tea, timber and tourism.
--IANS
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