Siliguri, Feb. 12: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said a “midway arrangement” would have to be worked out between the government and those agitating for statehood to bring peace to the troubled Darjeeling hills.

“We are willing to confer more powers and money on the hills, but don’t talk of statehood,” Bhattacharjee told a rally in Siliguri on the first leg of a three-day trip to north Bengal.

The chief minister said he had spoken to P. Chidambaram on Darjeeling and that the Union home minister, too, had agreed with him. “I have spoken to P. Chidambaram…He has told me that he would return to Delhi and work on a alternative, midway, arrangement, but we will not accept the demand for a separate state.”

“They (the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha agitating for Gorkhaland) should maintain peace as talks cannot be held under threats and use of force,” Bhattacharjee told the rally at Baghajatin Park this afternoon.

Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, too, had hinted at a climbdown when he recently revealed that he had sent a “secret proposal” to Delhi which “will be acceptable to all”. Though he had refused to reveal any details, party insiders said, the proposal indicated that the Morcha would not insist on the inclusion of the largely adivasi populated Dooars and Terai areas or Siliguri as part of Gorkhaland.

Bhattacharjee, too, made it clear today that irrespective of what “arrangement” was worked out, it would not include Siliguri and the Terai and the Dooars.

“I would like to make it clear to the leaders of Darjeeling not to utter the names of Siliguri, Terai and Dooars and demand the inclusion of these areas,” Bhattacharjee said. “Whatever arrangement is arrived at, it would involve only the hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong.”

Without mentioning the “secret proposal”, the chief minister said the Morcha leaders, too, had realised that achieving Gorkhaland would not be easy.

“The leaders (of the Morcha) have understood that it is not easy to achieve Gorkhaland and are thus speaking of an interim arrangement now.”

Hinting that an “alternative arrangement” similar to the DGHC could be worked out, Bhattacharjee said: “We had persuaded Subash Ghisingh and formed the DGHC in the eighties…We paid money to the council and delegated powers. If there have been lapses, then Ghisingh is answerable to the people.”

The student wing of the Morcha today called off Saturday’s 24-hour general strike, citing Losar celebrations.