Gangtok: A report of Sify News titled “Sikkim political parties back Gorkhaland demand”, said to have been filed from Gangtok on Friday, June 27, 2008, appeared on the Google website on the same day. Quoting PTI based in Gangtok as the source, the report attributed a statement to Mr B. B. Gooroong, political advisor to the Sikkim chief minister, which Mr Gooroong emphatically refuted.
The report said, “The ruling Sikkim Democratic Front - has openly supported the creation of a separate Gorkhaland state to fulfil what it says the aspiration of the Gorkha people”, adding, “The demand for creation of a Gorkhaland state is fully justified for the fulfilment of democratic aspirations of the Gorkha people living in the Darjeeling hills and adjoining areas in West Bengal, party leader and former chief minister B B Gurung told PTI here”.
When contacted by Sikkim Reporter, Mr. Gooroong said, “I deny having made any such statement”. He further said, “I did not talk to PTI on the matter”. The Sify report also carried what it called a statement by the former chief minister and Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee president Mr Nar Bahadur Bhandari. “The Gorkhaland demand is also supported by Mr. Bhandari, who said Darjeeling hills were never a part of West Bengal historically and the present agitation was a culmination of the discriminatory attitude of the state (West Bengal) government over the years”, according to the report.
“Some political parties like BJP, CPI-M and Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad have refused to express their stand on the statehood issue”, said the report, which also quoted SHRP president, Dr. A. D. Subba, saying, ‘’The Centre should find out the foreign forces which were behind the agitation on the statehood issue and were encouraging the agitators in all manners”. (http://sikkimreporter.com)
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