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DGHC
Chairman Subhash Ghising spoke to
Correspondent Labonita Ghosh from
his hospital bed in Siliguri. Excerpts:
Q.
You said you want to take care of your security yourself.
A. No, no. I spoke to the Home Ministry about growing terrorist
activities here. You need a combat force to tackle terrorism.
Q.
So would you like to raise a combat force?
A. I asked the state Government if it's possible to give
more powers to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). We can
rid Kolkata of its headache.
Q.
Where are these guns coming from?
A. See, it's happening in Nepal ... the Maoist movement has
started there. It is the same in the North-east. It's happening
all around. You understand?
Q.
What will be the impact of this attack on the assembly polls?
A.
If there are ak-47s and ak-56s being used, then there's no saying
what may happen. People are afraid. This is the beginning of disturbances.
Q.
What was decided at the Delhi meeting?
A. I've noticed a lot of loopholes in the DGHC. The idea is
to remedy those problems, to give it constitutional guarantee.
I also proposed that if we are to make the Council work, we could
put it in the Sixth Schedule. Gorkhaland is one solution, but we
have to see which is easier to achieve. If Sixth Schedule is difficult
for the Government and Gorkhaland is easier, then the state and
Central governments together
should go ahead with that.
Q.
But isn't the Sixth Schedule for tribals?
A.
The British designated us as tribes. We're still tribals.
Q.
What kind of safeguards will the Sixth Schedule bring?
A. State and Central acts will not apply, tribal culture
will be preserved and funds will come.
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