For Gorkhaland, JAP activists detained in Delhi

Kalimpong: Scores of Jana Andolan Party (JAP) activists were detained for breaking security barricade at Jan Mantar in New Delhi during their on-going dharna for Gorkhaland on Thursday.

Amar Lama, a national bureau member of the JAP, said his party activists were detained after they had crossed police barricades at Jantar Mantar.

"They were held at the Parliament Street police station. There was some pushing and shoving between our people and the police at the police station, but the situation did not go out of hand," he said.

The activists were released later in the day.

The JAP activists have been on a dharna since Tuesday, demanding a discussion on Gorkhaland and the present situation in the hills in Parliament and a tripartite talk on the issue among the Centre, the state government and hill parties.

Lama said the party would continue with its peaceful dharna till the conclusion of the budget session of Parliament on February 9. "The attitude of the central government has been negative, but despite that, we will continue with our democratic and peaceful protest," he said.

The party had organised a similar dharna in the national capital during the winter session of Parliament in end December and early January. The JAP leaders, including president Harka Bahadur Chhetri, had also met a number of MPs and solicited their support for holding a discussion on the Gorkhaland issue in Parliament.

Party leaders said this time around, too, they would be canvassing support from MPs and leaders of national parties. "We are given to understand that till February 5, Parliament will be busy discussing the budget. However, before the budget session concludes on February 9, we want the discussion to take place in Parliament," said the JAP president.

Apart from a discussion in Parliament, the JAP also wants the central government to convene tripartite talks to discuss the Gorkhaland issue to resolve the matter once and for all. After attending the first two rounds of bipartite meetings convened by the state government to discuss the hills issue, the party has abstained from subsequent rounds of meeting, asserting that only the tripartite process would lead to a meaningful solution to the problem.

The JAP has also accused the state government of trampling on the constitutional and democratic rights of the people by not allowing parties other than those it favours to hold public meetings in the hills. It also wants the state government to stop the arrest of innocent people in the aftermath of the last year's unrest in the hills.

The Telegraph