Darjeeling, July 8: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has chosen to ignore Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s offer for bipartite talks, trying instead to cash in on the part of the chief minister’s letter that says he has accepted the proposal for a tripartite meeting.

Bimal Gurung’s party has decided to send a copy of the chief minister’s letter to Union home minister Shivraj Patil and press the state government to arrange for discussions with Delhi.

The Telegraph had reported yesterday that the Morcha would not accept the bipartite talks’ offer.

Today, the Morcha president in a fax to Bhattacharjee said: “I am delighted that you have responded positively and agreed to accept our proposal for the tripartite meeting. I now look forward to meeting you in New Delhi.”

The chief minister while responding to a letter written by the Morcha on July 5 had said: “I accept your proposal for a tripartite meeting to discuss your demands.” The chief minister’s reply had also said it would be “fruitful if a meeting at the bipartite level” preceded it.

The Morcha has used the chief minister’s acceptance of a tripartite meeting to press the state to arrange for a dialogue with the Centre. “I would now request you to communicate your acceptance for a tripartite meeting to the Union home minister’s office, too, so that an early solution to the issue of Gorkhaland can be met.....I am also taking this liberty of sending a copy of your letter dated July 6 to the Union home minister Shivraj Patil.”

“We have already met the chief minister thrice and we now hope to meet him in New Delhi,” said Roshan Giri, general secretary, Morcha.

The Morcha is confident that Patil will convene a tripartite meeting. “Let me also use this occasion to recall the outcome of the meeting that our representatives had with the Union home minister Shivraj Patil on July 24, 2008. The minister too had agreed for tripartite talks and had added that the initiative should come from your good office,” the letter reads.

The home secretary of Bengal, Asok Mohan Chakrabarti, confirmed that Gurung’s letter reached Writers’ Buildings today.

“But nothing has been mentioned about the bipartite meeting. They (Morcha) have once again requested the state government to facilitate a tripartite meeting in Delhi,” the home secretary said.

Chakrabarti also said that apart from schools and offices, shops, markets and roads have been opened to the public in Darjeeling. “Banks and post offices remain open on Mondays and Fridays,” he added.

About the Morcha decision to use separate number plates with GL for cars in Darjeeling, the home secretary said the motor vehicles department would take the required measures.