By Various Sources on August 12,2008
Morcha keen to placate Sikkim CM
– Gurung goes for talks balm
OUR CORRESPONDENT – The Telegraph
Darjeeling, Aug. 11: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief today hastened to smoothen ruffled feathers after Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling hit out against the frequent blockades on NH31A set up by the hill party.
“We firmly believe that the problem can be solved through dialogue and not by approaching the Supreme Court,” said Morcha president Bimal Gurung. He was referring to the PIL filed by O.P. Bhandari against the blockades in response to which a division bench of the apex court has asked the Centre to ensure that the highway remained free for traffic.
B.B. Gooroong, the political adviser to Chamling, said Gurung’s gesture was good. “We, too, believe that this conflict must be amicably settled. We have been supporting the demand for Gorkhaland as we are emotionally attached to the people of Darjeeling,” said Gooroong. About Bhandari’s PIL, Gooroong said the case was filed in 2005 when “Subash Ghisingh was at the helm of affairs”.
The national highway is the only road link between Sikkim and the rest of the country. Chamling made it clear on Friday that “the people of the state would not accept suppression or domination by the outside forces”. The immediate reason for the outburst was a blockade set up by the Morcha a day earlier because of a misunderstanding between police and a few supporters of the party who were on signature campaign for Gorkhaland in the hill state. As soon as the news of the policemen’s alleged rudeness reached the Morcha in Darjeeling, its supporters blocked the national highway at Rambi, Rangpo and Teesta. They were lifted after the misunderstanding was sorted out in Gangtok.
“I was not even aware of the blockade…We will take disciplinary action against those who staged the blockade without our knowledge,” said Gurung.
But he said that three representations made to Chamling on Gorkhaland have gone unnoticed. “The emotional ties between the people of Sikkim and Darjeeling cannot be overlooked…However, the representation made by us on three occasions has gone unheeded,” the Morcha president said.
Chamling, too, had spoken about the “brotherly relations” that Sikkim and Darjeeling share. “We have good wishes for their Gorkhaland movement but why are they blocking our roads regularly?” he had said.
The Morcha had appealed to Chamling to pass a resolution in support of a new state in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly. Gooroong said the resolution was under the “active consideration” of the Sikkim Democratic Front and the chief minister.
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GJMM upset with Sikkim
Statesman News Service
DARJEELING, Aug. 11: The GJMM leadership is unhappy with Sikkim’s cold response to its signature campaign for Gorkhaland. “Our signature campaign for Gorkhaland received support from ministers and intellectuals of different states but Sikkim’s half hearted response upset us as we have good relations with it. This was not expected at all,” GJMM president Mr Bimal Gurung said today.
On 7 August, a GJMM team touring the country with a signature campaign for Gorkhaland recieved a cold response in Sikkim. Upset over the treatment meted out to them angry supporters of GJMM organised road blocks in National Highway 31A. “The road block by our supporters was a spontaneous reaction and not under GJMM central committee’s directives. We will definitely take disciplinary action against those responsible but Sikkim’s response to our effort is hurting,” Mr Gurung said.
This incident has worsened the already sour relation the two sides share ever since Sikkim filed a case against the GJMM in the Supreme Court for disrupting movement along NH31A. “We could have amicably solved the dispute, but they chose to move the court first. With due respect to the Supreme Court, we cannot let off the NH31 stretch from future blockades because it falls within the ambit of our territory. However, this is notdictatorship and we still welcome them if they want to hold talks on the issue,” asserted Mr Gurung.
Sikkim though has always supported the cause of Gorkhaland and had gone on record saying it would adopt a resolution in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly in favour of the separate state. But the indifferent attitude on the issue despite their several assurances has surprised the GJMM.
“Sikkim has maintained that it wants to see Darjeeling flourishing. But they should understand that we give our identity more precedence over wealth. Yet, they turned a deaf ear to our delegations requesting them to back the Gorkhaland demand in their Assembly,” Mr Gurung said.
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CPM waits for Buddha visit
OUR CORRESPONDENT – The Telegraph
Siliguri, Aug. 11: The animosity faced by the CPM in the hills in the past few months will top the list of priorities at a discussion to be held when chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee comes here on August 16.
The RSP’s sudden demand to remove state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya from the post of district Left Front convener will also be brought to Bhattacharjee’s notice.
A party source said today that after the formation of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, CPM leaders in the hills, including S.P. Lepcha, K.B. Wattar and Tara Sundas, had to face a series of agitation — ranging from confinement and boycott to disconnection of essential supplies like water.
“Often they were told to choose between leaving the party and the hills,” the source said.
“We had to refrain from holding any political activity, apprehending further oppression. The issue will be discussed at the meeting and we will seek the chief minister as well as the state government’s intervention.”
The Morcha action, he said, had triggered protests, but only in Siliguri. “We informed the administration and although there were some interventions, we continue to face the same problem. No steps were taken against Morcha supporters and leaders for confining or threatening us and our families as the state government has taken the stance to remain silent and wait for the tripartite meeting on the hills,” the sources said. “We will raise this point as well, mentioning our plight.”
The Morcha acquisition of the party office in Kalimpong and its assertion through Dinesh Gurung to take over the district office in Darjeeling would also be discussed.
“The acquisitions will come as a jolt to the party and can create confusion among hill people who are still with us. The Morcha is trying to employ the same tactics on us as they did on the GNLF. They laid siege to GNLF offices and their homes, prompting some prominent faces from Subash Ghisingh’s party to leave for Siliguri. Even Ghisingh was forced to come down,” the party source said.
The taking over of homes of CPM leaders (or the party offices) could bring down whatever little support base the party enjoys in the hills. When the house of a prominent leader is taken over, the grassroots supporters start feeling insecure. “This builds up a pressure on the leader,” said the source.
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‘GJMM abides by non-violence’
Statesman News Service
SILIGURI, Aug 11: The GJMM general secretary Mr Roshan Giri has said that the continuing movement in the Hills for separate statehood remained and would continue to remain non-violent in spite of provocations from the CPI-M.
“We are ideologically committed to non-violence and that is the reason why the movement in the Hills has, by and large, remained non-violent barring some stray incidents here and there,” he said. Referring to the CPI-M’s allegation that the GJMM was indulging in vendetta politics, Mr Giri denied such baseless coments. “ The party leadership is branding us as anti-nationals day in and day out and goading several radical organisations to assault the hill people residing in the plains. We are opposed to all kinds of retaliation from our side, yet reactions happen sometimes,” the GJMM leader said.
Asked whether the proposed Gorkhaland state was a feasible proposition in view of the state government’s dogged opposition, Mr Giri said that his organisation was also adamant on its stand on the matter and under no circumstances would it budge. “The people of Darjeeling would be satisfied with nothing short of a separate state and this is clear to all,” the GJMM leader commented.
Regarding the proposed tripartite dialogue in New Delhi over the disputed issue Mr Giri said that his outfit was looking forward to it, though no date had been fixed for the dialogue. “The initiative for the tripartite dialogue is a wise move and we would get a scope to project our view on the tangle,” the GJMM secretary remarked.
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No-trust motion against Kumai
OUR CORRESPONDENT – The Telegraph
Kalimpong, Aug. 11: The councillors of the Kalimpong Municipality today carried out a no-confidence motion against their chairman C.K. Kumai of the GNLF.
Of the 23 councillors, 20 attended the meeting chaired by Norden Lama, the chairman-elect of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
The three who abstained were Kumai himself, K.H. Subba, the vice-chairman, and Aditya Rai. All three had resigned as councillors on July 30.
After the emergence of the Morcha in September last year, 14 councillors resigned from the GNLF and switched allegiance to the new party. Six others followed suit.
The Morcha councillors had requisitioned a meeting on July 24 in which they declared that they no longer had any confidence in Kumai. The voting for the no-confidence motion took place today.
Lama told reporters that he and the other councillors would meet on Wednesday to decide on what to do with the three resignations.
He said that his chairing today’s meeting was “within the law.” “Only when we elect the new chairman will we need a government representative.”
Today’s meeting was, however, attended by Y.L. Sherpa, the executive officer of the municipality.
“It is a shame that Kumai had to go in this manner. It would have been an honourable exit for him if he realised the writing on the wall earlier and put in his papers instead of playing hide and seek with us for all these months,” Lama said. Kumai was not available for comment.
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Tea strike unites hills & plains
– Industry loses over Rs 7 crore OUR CORRESPONDENT – The Telegraph
Siliguri, Aug. 11: The tea industry in north Bengal suffered a loss of Rs 7-8 crore today as more than 3 lakh garden workers in the Darjeeling hills, Dooars and the Terai joined a one-day strike called by trade unions demanding wage revision.
The previous wage agreement expired on March 31. Three rounds of talks to revise the wages have failed after planters and trade union leaders could not reach a consensus about the raise.
State urban development minister and CPM leader Asok Bhattacharya created a ripple today when he praised the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated Darjeeling Hill Plantation Labour Union’s decision to participate in the strike.
“It is good to see that tea workers have united under the banner of the Morcha-affiliated trade union and are participating in today’s strike,” Bhattacharya said. “Such a united movement is essential to ensure that tea estate owners meet their demand.”
The hill union leaders, however, said they were working on their own for the tea workers serving in the 70-odd estates across Darjeeling. The union has recently wrested control of the tea gardens in the hills from the GNLF-affiliated Himalayan Plantation Workers’ Union.
“All the tea gardens in the hills were closed today,” said Suraj Subba, the general secretary of the hill union. “However, we are not in league with any of the apex committees and are working on our own. Unlike the other trade unions in the industry, we have lined up a number of programmes.”
The plans include a 24-hour hunger strike in each hill estate on August 13 and stopping the transport of tea from the gardens from August 16, said Subba. “From that date, we will also start demonstrations and fasts-unto-death in front of the garden offices,” he added.
In the plains, workers owing allegiance to different trade unions did not report for duty today and are threatening to go on an indefinite strike from any day after August 18 if the planters do not meet their demands, said Chitta Dey, convener of the Coordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers.
“The existing wage of workers is Rs 53.90 a day. In the last meeting, the owners offered a hike of Rs 11.10 spread over three years and another Re 1 in the six months after that. We did not agree to it,” said Dey.
“If the stalemate continues for the next seven days, we will call an indefinite strike across the brew belt as we had done in 2005,” Dey added.
In 2005, the indefinite strike had continued for a fortnight, resulting in a loss of around Rs 100 crore. It was withdrawn only after the intervention of chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
“We too, want tea industry to flourish. That it why we settled for less in 2005, when the industry was recuperating from a slump,” said Samir Roy, the convener of the Defence Committee of Plantation Workers’ Rights, another apex body of workers. “But the industry is in much better position now and our demand for wage revision is practical and affordable.”
Planters insisted that calling strikes would not solve the problem.
“Trade union leaders must understand that going on a strike to mount pressure on us will only make the situation more complex,” said N.K. Basu, the convener of the West Bengal committee of the Coordination Committee of Plantation Associations, an apex body of tea companies. “We are always ready for negotiations through discussion.”
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Strike hits output of India’s Darjeeling teas
in.reuters.com
KOLKATA, India, Aug 11 (Reuters) – Thousands of Indian tea plantation workers in the Darjeeling region went on strike on Monday demanding higher wages, and have threatened to step up their protests, endangering output of premium brews.
The day-long stoppage hit peak-season activity on 350 gardens in the Himalayan region in eastern India, which also suffered in June during protests for a separate state for the region’s ethnic Nepalis, known as Gorkhas.
“The Darjeeling tea industry will lose about 20 million rupees ($475,000) a day owing to these strikes,” Rajiv Lochan, a tea garden owner and secretary of the Siliguri Tea Traders’ Association, told Reuters.
The region produces about 10 million kg of premium teas which sell at up to six times the price of other grades.
“We will resort to an indefinite strike from Aug. 18 if our demands are not met,” said Orient Kawar, a striking worker.
Tea officials said the workers’ demands were unrealistic.
“The cost of production is going up … the demand for wage revision has to be practical,” said Aditya Khaitan, chairman of the Indian Tea Association. (Reporting by Sujoy Dhar, Editing by Mark Williams)
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Tea gardens closed in Darjeeling
The Hindu
Siliguri (PTI): All 87 tea gardens in the Darjeeling hills were closed on Monday after a labour union affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha called a bandh, breaking the Morcha’s promise not to call a bandh in the region till Dussehera.
GJM press secretary Benoy Tamang said the bandh had been called demanding wage parity among tea garden workers and re-introduction of other facilities like supply of charcoal, umbrella, blanket in the winter which the workers used to get earlier.
He said his promise not to call a bandh till Dussehera had not been broken, arguing that the bandh had been called by the plantation labour union which was in no way related to the GJM demand for ‘Gorkhaland’.
The GJM, he said, would extend all support to the tourists to make their stay comfortable in the hills during the forthcoming tourist season.
Meanwhile, the CPRM (Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists) has called a 12-hour general strike on August 22 and plans to observe the day as ‘Betrayal Day’.
“On this day in 1986, Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council accord was signed by GNLF supremo Subash Ghising which “sealed the demand for Gorkhaland,” CPRM leader D S Bonyan told PTI.
The CPRM leader also demanded speedy trial of Chhatre Subha, languishing in Jalpaiguri jail as an undertrial for allegedly masterminding the assassination attempt on Subhash Ghising on February 10, 2001.
Tamang said that GJM would decide its stand on 22 August shut down programme by August 19.
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Three lakh tea garden workers observe one-day token strike
The Economic Times
JALPAIGURI: Around three lakh workers in 300 tea gardens of North Bengal and Doars area today observed a one-day’s token strike demanding renewal of their wage agreement, a top union leader claimed.
“All the tea gardens in North Bengal and Doars area were closed today. No work took place in any of the tea gardens as no worker reported for work,” claimed Chitta Dey, Convenor of the Coordination Committee of the Plantation Workers Union, an umbrella organisation of tea garden workers.
Dey alleged that due to the stubborn attitude of the Tea Planters Association negotiations have failed and they may go for an indefinite strike.
He threatened that if Tea Planters Association failed to to accept the wage renewal agreement by August 18, then the tea workers would go on an indefinite strike.
In West Bengal the tea garden workers get only Rs 53 per day while in other states such as Kerala the workers get Rs 101 per day.
The other demands of the Coordination Committee of the Plantation Workers Union are supply of regular ration to the workers, better health care facilities, drinking water facility and labour quarters.
Darjeelingtoday 