Jalpaiguri/Siliguri Feb 25: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) got
a fresh jolt in the Dooars Monday that could well swell down its hard earned
popularity in the area with the most of the hardliners of the party deciding to
join hands with the Congress.
Atleast 30 front line supporters of the GJM from the Chamurchi
area in the Indo-Bhutan boarder joined the congress ultimately triggered by the
step motherly attitude shown by the GJM after the formation of the new hill
body vis-à-vis the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
The entire populace in Chamurchi blamed the GJM’s step motherly
attitude for joining the party. The GJM, that has now threatened a militant
stir in the hills purportedly after the state cabinet nod to form the Lepcha
Development Council coupled with the tortoise speed of the state government to
transfer the departments to the GTA, has not spoke a single word on the issue
of inclusion of the Dooars in the GTA. The GJM before the formation of the GTA
had demanded inclusion of 399 mouzas that was rejected by the Justice Shyamal
Sen Committee.
“The GJM leaders from the hills had made many promises. One was
the inclusion of the Dooars and the Terai in the GTA. The issue we feel has
been left out deliberately. The leaders now have not spoken a single word on
the issue that shows their sincerity towards us. They have blatantly misguided
us and we do not want to keep any relation with the party,” said Shyam Thapa.
Thapa was the vice president of the Yuva Morcha of the middle Dooars chapter.
Last week the GJM had got a major jolt when Padam Lama, a
central committee member of the party along with others joined Trinamool
Congress. The development since the Nepali speaking people have decided to join
the party however comes in at a time when the Panchayat polls are knocking in
the plains. The Nepali speaking population in the Dooars could play a vital
role. The resentment among the people against Morcha however can affect the
hill party to a wide extent along with the rebel ABAVP leader John Barla who is
eyeing to grab as much seats as it can. Barla has joined hands with the Morcha
and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
The Nepali speaking people of the Dooars had been instrumental
in Gorkhaland agitation lead by the GJM since 2007 and it was the Dooars people
who had to bear the maximum burnt during the agitation. Two people had died
from the Dooars region.
Interestingly after the area was rejected by Justice Shyamal Sen
Committee, the GJM did try to pacify the state government and managed to secure
a temporary relief. The State government formed a three member fact
verification committee but the committee is yet to place its final report. The
Morcha has not raised the issue since the past one year.
Given that the GJM is readying itself to launch an agitation
again; it is now likely that the people in the Dooars will remain silent. “The
GJM leadership has decided to relaunch a fresh agitation but they have not
spoken of the Dooars till now. This is an indication that the hill leaders are
only interested with the three hill subdivision. There is no point trusting
them once again,” argued Sanu Tamang, another GJM leader who quit today.
Many who joined the Congress however feels that the GJM should
not have agreed with the GTA. The people in the Dooars are more upset as this
was the second time the hill parties have betrayed. During the Subash Ghisingh
lead Gorkhaland agitation in the late eighties, the Nepali dominated areas of
the Dooars was let out of the purview of the then Darjeeling Gorkha Hill
Council (DGHC).
Mohan Bose, the president of the Congress in the Jalpaiguri
District handed over the congress flag to the new members today.
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