Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday appealed to the leaders of the Gorkhaland statehood movement in Darjeeling to call off their agitation, and urged the West Bengal government to initiate dialogue with them, a Home Ministry official said.
Keeping in mind the national interest, as well as in the interest of our Gorkha brothers and sisters, who are brave and large hearted people and have contributed immensely to nation building, I appeal to GJM and all other stakeholders to call off the hunger strike, and also to withdraw the bandh call, allowing normalcy to return to the area. It is a move that will help to create an atmosphere for finding a solution to the current crisis.Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister
During a two-hour meeting chaired by Singh in New Delhi, the leaders of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) submitted a memorandum to the Centre detailing their demands.
The home minister appealed to the leaders to call off the indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling, which entered its 60th day.
Singh also appealed to the West Bengal government to initiate dialogue with the Gorkhaland movement leaders to resolve their demands, the official said.
The BJP's Darjeeling MP S S Ahluwalia also attended the meeting.
Swaraj Thapa, a leader of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which is a part of the GMCC, said the home minister had told them that he was mindful of the sufferings of the people in Darjeeling.
We urged him to start the process for (creation of) a separate state. The state is suppressing our democratic movement.
The GJM leader said the home minister had appealed to them to end the agitation.
"We will soon decide the future course of action," he said.
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