Ramudamu addresses the crowd in Kurseong Picture by Vivek Singh

Kurseong, Dec. 7: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today said referring the Sixth Schedule bill to a parliamentary standing committee was equivalent to throwing it in the dustbin.

“The bill will not be passed in the next hundred years. It was referred to the Standing Committee on December 4, which is as good as dumping it in a dustbin. This is a victory for the people who refused to accept anything less than Gorkhaland. Have faith in the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and it will give you Gorkhaland,” Binay Tamang, the press and publicity secretary of the Morcha, told a gathering of a thousand people at Kurseong Motor Stand today. The meeting was also attended by K.S. Ramudamu, the Morcha vice-president.

The newly formed party of Bimal Gurung has been opposing the Sixth Schedule status ever since its formation on October 7.

Tamang urged people to light seven candles in front of their houses from today — December 7 — for the next seven days to celebrate the “victory”.

Ramudamu said Gorkhaland was not just for the Morcha supporters but for the GNLF as well. He called upon all political parties to join the demand for a separate state.

In the evening, the GNLF issued a press release assuring the people that there was a possibility of the bill being passed in Parliament soon.

“If there is any obstruction, hurdle or rejection while passing the bill…the GNLF will start a movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland,” read the release signed by I.N. Pradhan, the branch committee president of the GNLF in Kurseong.

Earlier in the day, thousands of Morcha supporters brought out a procession demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland. They also shouted for the removal of Subash Ghisingh as the caretaker administrator of the Gorkha council.

Sukna meet

Afsar Khan, the secretary of the Sukna unit of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, said his party was expecting more than 10,000 people at Sunday’s meet, reports our Siliguri correspondent.

Sukna is important as initial demands for Gorkhaland included Siliguri as well as the Dooars, said Binay Tamang, the press and publicity secretary of the Morcha. “But Ghisingh settled for a council leaving out the two areas.”

Siliguri additional superintendent of police Rajesh Yadav said adequate measures would be taken to see that there are no flare-ups on Sunday.