Desperate to defuse the tense situation which emerged in the hills in the past two days, chief minister Mamata Banerjee tried to downplay her face-off with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leadership. Referring to the raising of Gorkhaland slogans by GJM workers in the North Bengal Festival at Darjeeling’s mall, Ms Banerjee described it as a small matter.
“Nothing happened. It was a small matter. Some of them raised a political slogan. But it was nothing new. They have done this in the past as well,” she added. Ms Banerjee was addressing a news conference in Siliguri before flying back to Kolkata.
Commenting on GJM chief Bimal Gurung’s threat to launch a militant movement to press for a separate
homeland, Ms Banerjee said that as a political party the GJM had every right to launch movements. Seeking to downplay Mr Gurung’s threat of a militant agitation, she said: “We will see when it happens. We took over reins of the state by taking oath as per Constitution. They too are in power in the GTA by taking oath in accordance with Constitution. They will not do anything against the Constitution.”
In a clear bid to placate Mr Gurung and his partymen, Ms Banerjee reasoned that they had threatened to launch fresh movement out of anger. "They are younger to me. Maybe their feelings are hurt. And younger ones can always show to elders like me that they are hurt. What is wrong in that? Why should I call that a quarrel?" she asked.
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‘Water, energy, food key to sustainable growth’
age correspondent
NEW DELHI, JAN. 31
Ministers of environment stressed that water, energy and food security were the key tools for sustainable development.
Speaking at the Teri Delhi Sustainable Dev-elopment Summit (DSDS), Arvinn Eikeland Gadgil, deputy minister for international development, Norway, pitched for the levying of a development tax to ensure sustainabelgrowth.
“Good governance is not enough to fight climate change. We need fair governance,” Polish minister of environment Marcin Korolec stressed that Poland had reduced greenhouse gases by 30 per cent and was willing to share its recipie of success with other nations.
Jean-Francois Lisee, minister of international relations and and external trade, Qubec, highlighted how individual states (as opposed to the country as a whole) have seized the intiative to lower emissions.
Mr Lisee cited the unusual case of California and Qubec which decided to lower emission standards for cars and had linked up by setting up the first cross border carbon trading system in North Amercia. “They are now planning to link up with Australia and Europe… We have an international caps and trade system without the government following,” said Mr Lisee.
Lisee’s critical tone was not lost on Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, UAE who said,. “Of the seven billion people living on the planet, around one billion live without water and one billion remain hungry every day,” adding that by 2030, the planet will need 20 per cent more water, 40 per cent more energy and 50 per cent more food compared to the present requirement.