Amit Shah meets Darjeeling hill leaders over political solution

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday held a key meeting with senior hill leaders at a hotel in Sukna in the Darjeeling foothills on the third and final day of his north Bengal visit.

The meeting is expected to focus on finding a “permanent political solution” to the long-standing issues of the Darjeeling hills within the ambit of the constitutional framework, officials said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attended the meeting along with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung and the party’s senior leader Roshan Giri.

Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) chief Mann Ghisingh, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, several state ministers and BJP MLAs from the hills also attended the meeting, along with senior state government officials.

The discussions are expected to centre on the BJP’s pre-poll promise of a “permanent political solution” for the Gorkha community and other residents of the hills.

For decades, residents of the hills have demanded a separate Gorkhaland state.

Previous state governments have attempted to address the issue through arrangements including the establishment of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

However, these arrangements have, arguably, failed to secure long-term peace, economic prosperity and political stability in the region.