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GJM demands separate statehood

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Press Trust of India Kolkata

"I have received a letter from them (GJM) today. I am not taking a decision right now. Let me talk to my colleagues first," Bhattacharjee told reporters. Ruling out an all-party meeting as demanded by Union minister Priyaranjan Dasmushi, he said "I am not thinking of an all-party meeting before I talk to them (GJM)."

 

GJM president Bimal Gurung had told a massive rally at Siliguri on May 7 that it would achieve Gorkhaland by 2010 following Mahatma Gandhi's path of non-violence. Stressing that peace was necessary for the development of Darjeeling hills, Bhattacharjee said "There is no question of division of West Bengal."

To another query, he said the victory of Maoists in Nepal was welcome because they had joined the mainstream of politics, but the case of Maoists in the country was different. "Here in West Bengal, they operate in pockets of Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapur districts from adjoining Jharkhand," he said.

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First Published: May 09 2008 | 6:59 PM IST

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