The Centre has constituted a committee to draft the final agreement on the Gorkha issue, BJP MP Raju Bista said on Saturday, after a key meeting between Union Home minister Amit Shah, Gorkha leaders and the West Bengal government.
Centre forms committee to draft agreement
The meeting aimed to find a roadmap for a "permanent political solution" to the long-standing issues of the hill people.
The meeting, held at a hotel in Sukna in the Darjeeling foothills on the third and final day of Shah's north Bengal visit, was attended by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and leaders of various political parties of the hills and other stakeholders of the region.
"A committee under the Ministry of Home Affairs has been formed under the leadership of interlocutor Pankaj Kumar Singh. It will work to finalise the drafting of today's agreement," Bista said.
In October, 2025, the MHA appointed retired IPS officer and former deputy national security advisor Pankaj Kumar Singh as the official government interlocutor for the issue.
His role focuses on leading political dialogue and addressing long-standing demands of the Gorkha community.
Meeting held on 1988 Gorkha accord anniversary
Bista, the Darjeeling MP, said that Saturday's meeting was held on a historic day since it coincided with the date of signing of the Gorkha accord in 1988.
The accord, signed between the Centre, the West Bengal government and the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), had led to the creation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) following a violent agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland.
"The history of struggle of the hill communities spans over four decades during which the previous Left and TMC government trampled over the aspirations of the hill people. The sacrifice made by our people involves nearly 2,000 people who were martyred, over 5,000 people displaced and women tortured and raped," he alleged.
Shah hears concerns of hill stakeholders
Bista said that while representatives of the various communities put forth their concerns and expectations at the meeting, Adhikari also spoke on how he intends to address the issues of the hill people.
"After hearing out all stakeholders, Shah summed up the meeting by elucidating how a permanent solution to the issue would be reached in the days ahead," the MP said.
The meeting was expected to address the agenda of finding a "permanent political solution" to the long-standing issues of Darjeeling hills within the ambit of constitutional framework, in lines with the BJP's pre-poll promise for the affairs of Darjeeling hills.
Gorkha leaders, state ministers attend
Besides Adhikari, also present at the meeting were Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung, and the party's senior leader Roshan Giri, GNLF chief Mann Ghisingh, several state ministers and BJP MLAs from the hills, besides senior officials of the state government.
Attempts made by previous state governments to address the issue through arrangements such as the establishment of the DGHC and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) have, arguably, failed to secure long-term peace, economic prosperity and political stability in the region.