Hill TMC eyes Mamata rally in the hills, CRPF presence advantage says observers

NBS Times Report

Siliguri March 25: The hill Trinamool congress is not ready to vow down at any cost to fight the alleged autocratic rule of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) despite its one of the leader attacked in Kalimpong during broad daylight recently. The hill TMC lead by its convenor Rajen Mukhia held a meeting at Panighatta in the Kurseong sub division deciding to hold a public rally either in Kalimpong or Mirik very soon.

Things however do not stop here. Mukhia announced that Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee is expected to address its supporters in the meeting that may trigger a fresh row over the deteriorating friendship that Mamata and Bimal Gurung, the GJM shares at the moment.

“Mamata Bannerjee will be the main speaker in the meeting that will be either held in Kalimpong or Mirik. The dates have not been finalized as yet,” said Mukhia today. The Hill TMC incidentally has leaders and members most of whom were GNLF supporters in the past before Gurung started his tirade in the hills.

Mukhia was apprehensive whether the GJM would allow them to convene the meet and alleged that the GJM has been attacking their supporters in the hills blatantly. Chewang Bhutia, a TMC leader in Kalimpong was attacked with a sharp weapon at a hotel last month. “It is because of the attack that the government has deployed the paramilitary forces in the hills. Had the governance in the hills been right the GJM would not have attacked us,” added Mukhia.

Observers however feel that Mamata stepping in the hills once again that too with a political motive would be interesting in the hill politics. “The move will definitely distance the GJM and the TMC further apart if the CM addresses the meet in the hills. The GJM however has repeatedly said that it does not want the CM’s intervention in the hill affairs. Though it is not yet confirmed about the CM’s attendance in the meeting, it may also be a ploy of the hill TMC to take advantage of the situation given that the paramilitary forces in present in the hills,” said an observer.

Over and again the administration has denied permission to anti-Morcha parties in the hills for conducting public gathering citing law and order problems ever since the formation of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in 2007. However, administrative sources said that this time it might not be able to deny such permission given that the Trinamool is a state ruling party in the hills.