New Delhi, Oct 7 (UNI) The delegation of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) led by its Working President Dr Lopsang Yolmo Lama on Wednesday reiterated the demand for creation of separate Gorkhaland State in a meeting convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The GJM delegation met the Minister of States for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy who was present with Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other senior officials of the Home Ministry.



The MHA has asked the West Bengal Home Secretary, Darjeeling District Magistrate, Principal Secretary of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration but no state Government officials participated in the meeting.

The delegation raised the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland and grant of Scheduled Tribe status to 11 Gorkha sub-communities, the GJM Working President Dr Lopsang Yolmo Lama said in a statement issued by him after the meeting.

When the issue of Gorkhaland Territorial administration was raised in the meeting by the officials, the GJM delegation said that the delegation was there to discuss the statehood demand and grant of Scheduled Tribe status and not the GTA since the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the Union of India, Government of West Bengal and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in 2011 was not honoured by the State of West Bengal.

The visiting GJM delegation also submitted a detailed memorandum as regards irregularities, interferences and obstacles committed by the State government thereby rendering the GTA defunct and also said that that all the elected members of the GTA had resigned en-mass in 2017 rejecting the said body.

Dr Lopsang Yolmo Lama also said that the issue of Gorkhaland being the oldest statehood demand in India and presented various materials supporting the said demand.

He also said that MoS Reddy assured the delegation that the government would consider all the materials presented before it and would announce the next meeting after speaking with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and briefing him about the contents of today's meeting.

The delegates representing GJM were Dr. Lopsang Yolmo Lama, Dr Kalyan Dewan, Ms Urmila Rumba, Mr Bishal Chettri, Mr Bishal Lama, Dr Binu Sundas along with their legal advisor Advocate Anand Bhandari,

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