‘BJP is bulldozing their way through’

“In the forthcoming days how will we survive if our regional parties, local clubs, local associations and community don’t survive? BJP is all set to devour them up like a dinosaur in the near future. We have to remain cautious. They should have allowed regional parties and regionalism to thrive. In the alliance also they are bulldozing their way through. I object to this. I want regionalism to thrive,” stated Bimal Gurung, President, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

Incidentally, the GJM is a part of the United Gorkha Manch (UGM,) a BJP-led political alliance, forged recently by Opposition parties against the TMC and the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM).

The GJM President was apprehensive about how the BJP is functioning in the alliance. He stated that the alliance had been forged only to end widespread corruption in the Hills. “After the Panchayat elections, there will be no more alliance. We will rethink our strategy,” added Gurung.

Party insiders claim that the BJP has strong-armed alliance partners into fielding their candidates in the Panchayat election as BJP candidates. Despite having a skeletal organisation in the Hills, they have managed to field a large number of candidates in both the Gram Panchayat and the Panchayat Samity.

After 23 years two-tier elections (Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samity) will be held in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration area. The BJP has fielded 195 candidates in the Darjeeling district under the GTA and 132 in the Kalimpong district in the Gram Panchayats.

In the Panchayat Samities, they have fielded 52 candidates in Darjeeling and 37 in Kalimpong. On the other hand, the number of Independent candidates which includes all the candidates of the constituent parties of the UGM as well as candidates not affiliated with any political party stands at 1,576 in Darjeeling and 814 in Kalimpong in the Gram Panchayats and 428 from Darjeeling and 233 from Kalimpong in the Panchayat Samities.

In the Darjeeling district under the GTA area, the BJP has fielded 247 candidates; GNLF 45; Hamro Party 209; GJM 28; CPRM 7 together in the GP and PS. All these parties are constituents of the UGM. The BGPM has fielded 721 and TMC 36 candidates in Darjeeling for the GP and PS in total.

“Bimal Gurung is finally realising what we had realised a long time ago. BJP is here just to end regionalism. We are an ally of the TMC but they never have interfered with regional parties so much so that they did not even field any candidates in the Assembly elections, giving us a free hand instead” stated Anit Thapa, President, BGPM.

Interestingly the BJP had fielded Niraj Zimba, the General Secretary of GNLF in the last Assembly elections from Darjeeling on a BJP ticket. The BJP has always been riding piggyback on regional parties in the Hills. They first entered politics in Bengal by getting a lone seat from the Darjeeling Parliamentary constituency forging an alliance with the GJM. Since then there has been no looking back for the saffron brigade.

“In the last 15 years, except for empty promises, what did the Gorkhas get? Instead the BJP is bent on diluting regionalism now. The Gorkhas should realize this and wake up” added Thapa.

Even Neeraj Zimba, the BJP MLA from Darjeeling who also belongs to the GNLF, an ally of the BJP remarked ”Regional parties should be given priority in local elections. Else it could have a long term effect on regional politics” added Zimba. Many GNLF candidates are contesting under the Lotus symbol of the BJP in the rural polls.

“BJP is on a mission to end regionalism. We have always balanced between regional and state parties. The Hills should be cautious” added NB Khawas, Spokesperson, TMC.