Anit Thapa to form advisory panel for GTA
Darjeeling: Anit Thapa, the newly appointed officiating Chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), will be setting up an advisory committee to help run the Hill body.
Incidentally, with Binoy Tamang's resignation being accepted, Thapa was appointed the officiating chairman of the GTA on April 25.
Tamang put in his papers as he is contesting the Darjeeling Assembly By-polls. "After elections when my office becomes fully operational I will constitute an advisory committee comprising of experts and retired bureaucrats. This committee will help me run the GTA effectively. Once we take up a responsibility we have to fulfill it effectively," stated Thapa.
Thapa is also interacting with the Hill civil society, seeking suggestions to restore the lost glory of the Hills.
"In the past, leaders have been playing with the emotions of the people. It has always been politics of emotion. We need to switch to reality and ensure the betterment of this place," stated Thapa.
In the past also Hill masses have been fooled by leaders. "The leaders always created a distance between the Hills and the state government raising anti-state slogans while the leaders on the quiet were working with the state government, reaping rich benefits," said Thapa.
He stated that such hypocrisy needed to end. "One has to work in unison with the state government. There are many issues that cannot be resolved at the GTA level and needs intervention with of the government. Politics of opposing only does not yield fruit," said Thapa.
Thapa alleged that Bimal Gurung's agitation in 2007 was just to chase Subash Ghising and the GNLF out of the Hills and seize power. "Using Gorkhaland as a front he ousted Ghising and the GNLF seized the chair. After this time and again he launched agitations which were used as tools to blackmail and bargain with the state government. The agitations always met with abrupt ends without any results. While people suffered he just bargained great deals for himself. This brand of politics has to end in the Hills," Thapa said.
