New Hill party christened 'Hamro Party'

Darjeeling: Ajoy Edwards, a popular politician of Darjeeling, made public the name of the new political outfit along with the party flag. Interestingly, "Hamro Party" (Our Party) the name of the new outfit was selected through public voting.

Announcing the name from Mirik, Edwards dubbed it historic. "It is for the first time that the name of a political party is being chosen by the public through voting. The party is truly the party by the people and for the people," stated Edwards.

Incidentally, Edward and his team had appealed to the public to send in names. Four names were selected out of about 122. Finally, the public cast votes to choose the name from the earlier selected four.

"Voting ended at midnight. 'Hamro Party' emerged the clear winner having bagged 51.1% votes," stated Edwards. The flag has a white background with a navy blue circle, a white khukuri (traditional sword) and three white birds.

Explaining the design and representation of colours, Edwards stated that navy blue represents the power and right of the people; three birds stood for freedom for the Hills, Terai and Dooars and the khukuri represents history, traditions and beliefs. "The khukuri binds us to our ancestral heritage and cultural wisdom. We are custodians of our soil, proud protectors of our culture, warriors of peace and natural harmony," added Edwards.

The party will be formally launched shortly after the committees are formed. Talking about issues that the new political outfit will shoulder, Edwards stated: "More than 35 years have passed in our quest for political identity and aspiration. Sometimes it was Gorkhaland, sometimes 6th Schedule; the resurrection of Gorkhaland and now a permanent political solution. All this is important but along with this, livelihood, education and healthcare are also important. We will make a new beginning. We need to get into governance and provide good governance."

Edwards, a popular face in the Hills, known for his philanthropic ways had parted ways with the GNLF alleging that the party had just been using him. Dubbing politics as the highest form of social work he has vowed to become the voice of the silent majority.