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
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