Jaswant Singh reaffirms his support for Gorkhaland

B
AGDOGRA - Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh has said that his support to the creation of a separate Gorkhaland state remains unchanged despite his ouster from the party.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, he said that not only he, even his former party BJP is committed to the cause of Gorkhaland.

“My support to Gorkhaland remains the same. There is no change. That is the commitment I have made, which is personal and political. The BJP, which is my former party, has also affirmed that their position on Gorkhaland is unaltered. We support the creation of Gorkhaland as a separate state,” said Jaswant Singh.

Presently, Singh is on a five-day visit to Darjeeling and other areas. This is his first visit after being expelled from the BJP.

Jaswant Singh was expelled from the BJP for applauding Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan in his controversial book ‘Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence’.

His expulsion came as a big blow to the members of the ethnic Gorkha community, who have sought a separate state to be carved out from West Bengal.

The Gorkhas have contended that the issue of Gorkhaland was spelt out in the election manifesto of BJP and as such Singh’s ouster will have change the party’s stand and it will abide by the pre-poll promises spelt out in the manifesto.

At least 1,200 people died in the first Gorkhaland campaign in the 1980s. The mass protests ended a few years later after Gorkha leaders accepted limited autonomy with the formation of a Hills Council.

However, this mechanism did not work out successfully, leading to the split in the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), the forerunner of Gorkhaland agitation.

Subash Gheising, the founder of GNLF was ousted and his opponents formed the parallel Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

The GJM canvassed extensively for the election of Jaswant Singh. (ANI)

J and K Govt seeks Center’s clearance to construct concrete huts along LAC

S
RINAGAR - The Jammu and Kashmir Government has sought clearance from the Ministry of Defence to construct huts like along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) bordering China.

According to sources the State Government forwarded this proposal with the aim of strengthening the Indian presence along the LAC.

State Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla, said concrete huts would also help the nomadic shepherds to stay.

Nomadic shepherds are currently using mobile tents.

Recently Leh’s Deputy Commissioner Ajit Kumar Sahu said, the Chinese had threatened some shepherds in the remote regions of the district.

The State Government is also reportedly planning to house revenue officials and guards to monitor Chinese activities along the Pangong Lake, sources said.

Meanwhile, National Security Advisor M.K.Narayanan has called a meeting of the China Study Group of the Union Government on Wednesday, to discuss the situation along Indo-China border.

Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Home Secretary G. K. Pillai, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, Senior officials of the Army, the Air Force and the Navy, officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) would also attend the meeting. (ANI)

Reported Chinese firing injuring border guards scare residents in Sikkim

G
ANGTOK - Reports of Chinese firing injuring border guards in Arunachal Pradesh have caused concern among people in Sikkim.

They said security in the state should be tightened.

“People in our state are feeling insecure after the reports of Chinese incursion. Thus, we feel that security should be increased here as well,” said Vishal Cintury, a resident.

Arun Rai, a local journalist said that New Delhi and Beijing should hold high-level talks to sort out the issue.

“In1962, there was some intrusion between India and China so from since then onwards we are feeling insecure like anytime China can attack India, and Sikkim is also part of India. So we are feeling little bit scared. If this issue could solve between high level meeting between India and China, so that would be better,” said Arun Rai.

The report has been officially denied by the Government of India on Tuesday.

A spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs denied a media report about two ITBP jawans being injured due to firing from across the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“A media report about two ITBP jawans having been injured due to firing from across the LAC (Line of Actual Control) has come to notice. The report is factually incorrect,” said the MEA spokesman.

The denial comes after intelligence sources had revealed that two jawans of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, were injured in bullets fired from the Chinese side.

This was the first incident where bullets have been fired since the landmark 1996 Sino-India agreement in which both sides pledged not to open fire, no matter what the provocation, as a part of confidence-building measures.

The firing reportedly took place in Kerang in northern Sikkim a fortnight ago but has been kept under wraps. It was confirmed on Monday by a highly-placed intelligence source, Times Now reports.

Sources cited this as yet another instance of China’s maintaining pressure on the 2.1 sq km area of ‘Finger Point” in northern Sikkim. Last year, China had sent a vehicle-mounted patrol into this area, penetrating 1 km into Indian Territory. (ANI)

Black Widow start surrendering