Amar Lama at Writers’ Buildings. (Amit Datta)

June 27: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee ruled out the creation of a new state but told a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha team today that he had no objection to tripartite talks along with the Centre on how to grant more powers to the hill council.

Before going to Delhi, the chief minister would like “a few more rounds of bipartite talks” but the Morcha said it was either Gorkhaland or nothing.

“The chief minister said the Centre would not agree to our demand for statehood, but we categorically told him that the tripartite meeting should take place first and that it was our responsibility to convince the Centre,” said Amar Lama, who headed the four-member Morcha team today.

After a 50-minute meeting in the presence of chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb and home secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti, the chief minister said: “The Morcha leaders told me we should allow tripartite talks as the Centre had told them the state government would have to facilitate such discussions. I have no objection to tripartite talks…. Simultaneously, I told them let there be a few more rounds of bipartite talks as Darjeeling requires social and economic development.”

He said that in the bipartite talks, “it would be possible to find ways to grant more autonomy and administrative and financial powers to the council... before involving the Centre”.

Bhattacharjee asked the team that if the state could stay united for such a long time, “why is the question of the state’s division being raised?”

According to him, a tripartite meeting would not be “meaningful’’ if the state and the Morcha fail to arrive at a political solution.

“It (talking to the Centre before thrashing out a political solution) would be premature and without basis and I have doubts about the results. If bipartite talks yield a solution, then we can ask Delhi for tripartite talks. So, I appealed to them to go back to Darjeeling and think again on my proposals for bipartite discussions.”

Lama was carrying Morcha president Bimal Gurung’s brief: to tell Bhattacharjee to convene tripartite talks on Gorkhaland and refuse to speak on any other issue.

In Darjeeling, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said: “The demand for Gorkhaland is within the ambit of the Constitution, which has provisions for the creation of states. We will carry on with our peaceful movement.”