Gorkhaland issue not just restricted to West Bengal: Chamling

Agencies
July 9, 2017

Gangtok, Jul 9: Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today demanded urgent intervention of the Centre for early settlement of the Gorkhaland issue to safeguard the interest of Sikkim.

Gorkhaland

He said in case the issue was not addressed on priority basis, the Sikkim government might approach the apex court of India.

"I seek urgent intervention of Government of India and all the authorities concerned for early settlement of the situation to safeguard the interest of Sikkim from these hazards and constraints on priority," Chamling said through a press statement issued by the Information and Public Relations department of the state.

"In case of not addressing this issue on priority, the state government may have to approach the apex court of India in the larger interest of Sikkimese people for justice," the statement said.

Stating that the inter-state ramifications of the Gorkhaland agitation and treating it "merely as a West Bengal issue" was not adequate, the chief minister noted that the present situation in Darjeeling Hills has had a direct impact on life of the people of Sikkim and that this issue must be looked into with utmost seriousness.

"Sikkim’s geographical location having international boundaries with three countries - China in the North, Bhutan in the East and Nepal in the West, and the potential threat to the national security is a matter of supreme importance," the statement said.

"The only access to the rest of the country is through the state of West Bengal. Sikkim is sandwiched due to the agitation and prevailing law and order situation."As far as the national security is concerned, Government of India is appropriately handling the matter. We fully support Government of India’s effort, which is addressing the national security in the best interest of our country," the statement said.

The Sikkim Chief Minister also said that the law and order being a matter of the government of West Bengal, the loss and misery suffered by Sikkim could have been avoided.

"The Gorkhaland agitation-related anguish of Sikkim is as old as the agitation itself. Sikkim bound vehicles have been targeted by fringe groups in Siliguri," it said.

"Trucks carrying essential goods, commodities and petroleum products are being ransacked right in the presence of the West Bengal Police, and it has been learnt that in some cases, the West Bengal police itself is overseeing the situation," it said.

The statement also said that people in need of immediate advanced medical care were affected. In addition, the economic development of Sikkim has also been affected.

The CM's statement also said that due to the unrest in the neighbouring state of Bengal, "Sikkim has already borne the loss of over Rs 60,000 crore."

"In the agitation related violence on NH10, Sikkim’s only road link with the rest of the nation, over 5,000 vehicles have been vandalised and around 1,300 people (drivers and passengers) killed in the last 32 years of Gorkhaland agitation," it said.

Fresh violence today erupted in Darjeeling hills prompting the West Bengal government to call the Army back on the streets as Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, a toy train station and clashed with the police.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading the agitation for a separate state carved out of West Bengal, claimed that two youths were killed in police firing and rejected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offer of talks.

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News Network
April 23,2024

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Congress workers protested outside the home of Nilesh Kumbhani, the party's candidate from Gujarat's Surat Lok Sabha seat whose nomination form was rejected due to alleged discrepancies, as he was likely to join the BJP, sources said on Tuesday.

The protest came a day after the BJP's Mukesh Dalal was declared the winner from the party stronghold following the withdrawal of all the other eight candidates in the fray.

The sources said that the protesters called Kumbhani a "traitor" and "killer of democracy", adding that he could join the BJP as early as this week.

Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected after he was unable to present even one of his three proposers before Returning Officer Sourabh Pardhi.

The BJP had raised questions about the discrepancies in the signatures of three proposers in his nomination form.

The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated, pushing the party out of the poll fray in the BJP stronghold.

In his order, Pardhi said the four nomination forms submitted by Kumbhani and Padsala were rejected because at first sight, discrepancies were found in the signatures of the proposers, and they did not appear genuine.

The Lok Sabha elections in the Surat seat was supposed to take place on May 7.

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News Network
April 22,2024

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The BJP has opened its account in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The party's candidate from Gujarat's Surat constituency, Mukesh Dalal, has won the polls as all his opponents are now out of the fray.

BJP's Mukesh Dalal elected unopposed from the Surat Lok Sabha seat after all other candidates withdrew from the contest, the party's Gujarat unit chief CR Paatil said today. Today was the deadline for withdrawing nominations.

The nominations of the Congress party's Surat candidate and his substitute were rejected by the returning officer over alleged discrepancies in paperwork, a development that the Congress called an attempt at "match-fixing".

"Surat has presented the first lotus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I congratulate our candidate for Surat Lok Sabha seat Mukesh Dalal for getting elected unopposed," Mr Paatil posted on the microblogging website X, referring to the BJP's election symbol.

Eight candidates - seven of them independents - and Pyarelal Bharti of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) withdrew their papers.

The nomination papers of the Congress's Surat candidate Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected on Sunday after the district returning officer Saurabh Parghi found discrepancies in the signatures of the proposers.

The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress's substitute candidate from Surat, was also found invalid.

The returning officer had said the four nomination forms submitted by the two Congress candidates did not appear genuine. The proposers, in their affidavits, had said they had not signed the forms themselves, the returning officer said in the order.

Congress lawyer Babu Mangukiya said the party will approach the high court and the Supreme Court for relief.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a post on X said the Surat developments indicate "democracy is under threat". "Our elections, our democracy, Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution - all are under a generational threat. This is the most important election of our lifetime," Mr Ramesh said.

Mr Ramesh alleged the "distress" of micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) owners and the business community in PM Modi's "Anyay Kaal" and their anger have "spooked the BJP so badly that they are attempting to match-fix the Surat Lok Sabha polls, which they have won consistently since the 1984 Lok Sabha elections."

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News Network
April 26,2024

Palakkad: Three voters from Palakkad, Malappuram and Alappuzha, and a polling agent in Kozhikode died in seperate incidents in Kerala on Friday.

A man collapsed and died after casting his vote at Vani Vilasini in Chunangad, Ottapalam here on Friday. The deceased Chandran (68) hailed from Modernkattil  in Chunangad. Though rushed to the Ottapalam taluk hopsital, he was declared dead on arrival. Palakkad had recorded a high temperature of 40 degree Celsius on Thursday.

A Madrassa teacher, who came home after voting, collapsed and died. The deceased Alikkannakkal Tharakkal Siddhique (63) was the first voter at the polling station in Vallikkanjiram School at Niramaruthur Grama Panchayat in Tirur.

Kakkazham Veiliparambu Somarajan (82), who voted and returned home from the Kakkazham SN VT High School in Alappuzha also collapsed and died. He was a voter from booth 138.

In another instance, a polling agent died after collapsing at a booth in Kuttichira, Kozhikode on Friday. Maliyekkal Anees (66), a retired KSEB engineer from Haluwa Bazaar, was LDF's polling agent at the 16th booth in Kuttichira Government Vocational Higher Secondary School. He collapsed while doing his duty in the polling booth by 8.30 am. Though rushed to the Government General Hospital, he died by 9.15am. He is survived by wife Adakkani Veettil Zereena, childrens  Fayis Ahammed, Fadhil Ahammed, Akhil Ahammed and Bilal Ahammed.

A man also died in bike accident en route to polling booth in Malappuram on Friday. The deceased is Saidu Haji (75) of Neduvan. The bike rammed a lorry near BM School in Parappanangadi.

Polling began at 7am in all 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala on Friday. 

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