Jitendra Sharma
Kurseong March 14: A twist in the tale surfaced in the
politically acclimatized hills on Thursday with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha,
whose writ runs in the hills, hitting the streets with a silent rally a day
after Bengal Chief Minister in a yet another anti-Gorkhaland statement repeated
saying the Darjeeling is a part of Bengal yesterday at Chalsa in the Dooars
region, 30 km from Siliguri.
The silent rally once again showed that the hill party
lead by rebel GNLF con-man Bimal Gurung is in no way in the mood to stop their
demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. The rallies hit all the major towns
of the hills by a large number of GJM supporters who carried placards demanding
Gorkhaland. “We want Gorkhaland instead of Switzerland
The ‘Divide and rule’ allegation seems the policy of both
the hill party and the Trinamool since the past couple of months. While Gurung
straight after the formation of the Lepcha Development Council (LDC) alleged
that the Chief Minister was playing a ‘Divide and Rule’ policy to malign the
demand for Gorkhaland, Mamata Bannerjee yesterday alleged the congress for
dividing the people in the region with an eye on the next Lok Sabha polls that
could well dislodge the communal harmony.
A GJM leader today said that the rally was organized
against the chief Minister and her government against anti-Gorkhaland stance.
The rally would also be held on March 15, 21 and 22 after it withdraw the
bandhs called earlier on these dates following request from the congress
ministers recently.
However, most of the top leaders including Gurung of the
party cuddled up at Sibchu in the Dooars area and held a meeting with its
leaders in the Dooars region. Sources said that the meeting was called to discuss
the forthcoming panchayat polls, inclusion of Terai and Dooars in the GTA and
moving forward with the demand of Gorkhaland.
Gurung had traveled to the Dooars yesterday evening when
the Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee addressed a meeting at Chalsa.
Observers feel that Gurung purportedly entered the Dooars area to keep a
barricade on the flow of his supporters to the Trinamool. “Chief Minister’s
presence in the Dooars could shot up supporters to switch side. Hence, if
Gurung himself remains present there can always be a chance that he can stop
the flow,” said an observer.
In the past many supporters have switched sides to
Trinamool including Padam Lama, a central committee member of the Morcha
desperate with the party not speaking a word on the inclusion of Dooars in the
GTA after the formation of the hill body.
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