On 9 July, a Seminar was organized by the Indian Institute of Marxist Studies (IIMS Kolkata chapter) and All India Students’ Association on the Gorkhaland issue. At the Vivekanda Hall of Jadavpur University, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (which split from the CPIM over Gorkhaland and is a significant Left trend in the Darjeeling Hills), Comrades R.B.Rai (former MP), Taramani Rai, the Youth and Students in-charge, Gobin Chetri and C.K. Shreshta, the working President of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh and others put forth their perspectives on the Gorkhaland movement.
Dr. Anindya Sen, the working secretary of IIMS Kolkata chapter, inaugurated the seminar; Prof. Kunal Chattopadhyay of JU introduced the agenda with an exposition on the Marxist approach towards the question of right to self determination for nationalities. Comrade CK Sreshtha put forward the various aspects of the historical development of the Gorkha issue, stressing that the issue is one of the identity and dignity of 1.2 million of Gorkha people and diaspora living in the various parts of India, who face discrimination and deprivation today.
Various other speakers from Kolkata intelligentsia addressed the Seminar. Partha Ghosh, CCM, CPI(ML), Basudev Bose of AICCTU, and student activists also spoke, demanding that the hill people's demands be addressed through dialogue and all ways of resolving it be explored - from expanded autonomy to separate statehood.
