Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (left) and Shivraj Patil

Darjeeling/Delhi, May 30: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has welcomed Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s request to the Centre to stall the Sixth Schedule bill. This, however, has failed to clear the shadow of uncertainty that looms over the plains, where the party has decided to launch a hunger strike from June 2.

The fast is a protest against the Bengal government's decision to deny the Morcha permission to hold a public meeting in the plains.

The party, while indicating, that Bhattacharjee’s request was expected maintained that it was more important to open a tripartite dialogue on Gorkhaland involving the Morcha, the state government and the Centre.

“The people of the hills have already rejected the Sixth Schedule status. Nevertheless we welcome the chief minister’s request to the Centre. However, the more important issue is to open a tripartite dialogue,” said Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha.

Although it was largely accepted that Union home minister Shivraj Patil would not press immediately for the passing of the Constitutional Amendment Bill for inclusion of the Darjeeling hills under the Sixth Schedule given Subash Ghisingh’s loss of popular support, the chief minister’s request is expected to boost the Morcha morale.

Ghisingh was considered the chief architect of the Sixth Schedule.

Even though Bimal Gurung, the Morcha president, had claimed that the special status bill had been “dumped in a dustbin”, the ABGL, another anti-Ghisingh party has been warning the hills that the Centre and the state were looking for opportunity to pass the bill.

The bill had been stalled after a parliamentary standing committee on home affairs had called for a fresh assessment of the ground realities in the hills when some “regional parties expressed their reservation” about the status.

However, the bill that had been introduced by Patil in the Lok Sabha has not yet been withdrawn.

“The hill people must be warned. There are still five parliamentary sessions to go before the country goes to polls. The state and Centre want to pass the bill before the elections so that even if they set up the second state reorganization commission our demand for statehood can be brushed aside,” Madan Tamang, the president of the ABGL had claimed.

Tamang’s party has also plastered posters across the hills warning the hill people about the “conspiracy to pass the bill”.

In a 45-minute disccuuion, Bhattacharjee today apprised Patil whom he met in Delhi about the situation in the hills. Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said the government is concerned about the prevailing situation in Darjeeling.

In Naxalbari, a team of 11 Morcha supporters will sit for the hunger strike from June 2.

Sources said the state government fears that there could be law and order problem if a meeting is allowed to be held.