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Left Front bats for talks on Gorkhaland issue

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IANS Kolkata

Even as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked the GJM to withdraw its indefinite stir over Gorkhaland, the Left Front Thursday urged both parties to engage in a dialogue process.

"I would urge both the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) as well as the state government to ensure that the GTA (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration) is allowed to function as well as to keep open the option of dialogue," Front leader Surjya Kanta Mishra said here.

Ruling out any division of the state, Banerjee Thursday accused the GJM of stalling development in the Darjeeling hills and asked it to withdraw its stir which began Aug 3, spurred by the UPA endorsing a separate Telangana.

 

With Banerjee scheduled to visit the strife-torn hills Sep 2, Mishra also cautioned the state government to ensure no untoward incident took place during her trip when she would be participating in a Lepcha community programme in Kalimpong.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Front has been asking the government to call an all-party meeting to resolve the Gorkhaland issue.

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First Published: Aug 29 2013 | 8:12 PM IST

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