Gurung with protesters on hunger strike in Kalimpong. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Darjeeling, Feb. 10: The Bengal government has invited Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders to Calcutta on February 13 for a meeting even as tension brewed in the Darjeeling hills with the party’s fast-unto-death programme entering the fourth day.

Urmila Pradhan (18) from Kurseong and Deepankar Rai (27) from Darjeeling, two of the protesters on hunger strike, were hospitalised after they developed kidney and respiratory problems. Nine Morcha supporters were attended to by doctors at the sites where they were fasting in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.

Pradip Pradhan, the Morcha convener of Kurseong, has threatened that he and 10 party supporters will immolate themselves if the state and Centre fail to take note of the agitation.

The Morcha supporters set up blockades on several roads — barring NH31A as it would hamper vehicular movement to Sikkim — at alternate hours. The blockades, which will continue for an indefinite period, were lifted at 6pm. Even army vehicles were not allowed to ply.

Morcha president Bimal Gurung visited Kalimpong on a whistle-stop tour to boost the morale of the protesters. P.T. Sherpa, the Kalimpong subdivisional officer, said the administration had ensured the availability of doctors at the site.

The government’s invitation to talks amid requests to call off the fast was conveyed by Rajesh Pandey, the Darjeeling district magistrate, during a meeting held at his office this morning.

This is the first time that the state government has invited the Morcha leaders for a dialogue, a move indicative of the four-month-old party’s success in mobilising public support.

Gurung said his party was willing to attend the meeting, “even if it is held tomorrow”, but would not budge from its stand. “Our fast-unto-death will continue till Subash Ghisingh is removed as caretaker of the council and an assurance is given to us that that the parliamentary standing committee will visit the hills,” said Gurung. The Morcha leader said the party was willing to accept an IAS officer at the helm of the council.

Gurung claimed that the Sixth Schedule bill had to be scraped now as 19 of the 21 delegation members who had met the standing committee, which is scrutinising the draft, had rejected the status. “The only parties, which are in favour of the Sixth Schedule status, are the GNLF and the CPM,” he said.

The Morcha leader said a new agitation programme to be announced tomorrow would start from Wednesday. “Since tomorrow is Saraswati Puja, we don’t want to disturb the festivity,” Gurung said.

Nakul Chhetri, the vice-president of the hill unit of the Congress, claimed that in faxed messages to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee and Shivraj Patil, the party has asked for the Centre’s intervention to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.