Somewhere in Darjeeling....

Darjeeling made its tryst with destiny as it ushered in a new era of autonomy and stood poised between two routes — one of development, the other of a separate Gorkhaland. 
The dichotomy manifested itself at the swearing-in of the Gorkhaland Territorial Council (GTA) as Bimal Gurung, chief executive of the Hills administrator, began his speech with “Jai Gorkhaland” while chief minister Mamata Banerjee used the occasion to renew her appeal for a united Bengal and asked the Hills to abandon the path of confrontation 
Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, too, played the development card by announcing the Centre would give the GTA Rs 200 crore while commending the CM — whom he referred to as “my sister” — on her “bold” steps to resolve the Darjeeling crisis. Shinde reminded the GTA of its responsibilities. “My sister has been very bold in resolving the crisis in Darjeeling and you have got autonomy,” Shinde said. “Now, it is your responsibility to run the administration well. You will have to work towards developing infrastructure for education and tourism and to uplift the backward classes.”