Political & apolitical camps mount pressure on BJP to live up to their Hill commitments

Darjeeling: With the assurances given by the BJP failing to see the light of day yet political as well as apolitical organisations have decided to remind the BJP to live up to their commitments. Even allies of the saffron brigade have started to mount pressure.

Prasad Thulung, GNLF Youth wing leader stated that the BJP has failed to deliver in 15 years. “Even Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured us that a constitutionally guaranteed political solution would be worked out to resolve the Gorkha impasse but nothing has emerged yet. We would like to remind minister Shah to live up to his commitments,” stated Thulung.

Incidentally GNLF is an ally of the BJP. Even BJP MLA from Kurseong Bishnu Prasad Sharma had criticised BJP MP Raju Bista for forging an alliance with opposition parties to fight the two-tier Panchayat election. Sharma stated that the BJP should not have taken part in two-tier Panchayat elections in the Hills. He even pulled up his party for having failed to have lived up to commitments.

BJP MP Raju Bista had stated that a tripartite meeting would be called by the Union government within July 20 to discuss the way forward for a permanent political solution. However, though July 20 is just round the corner, there is no news of any such meeting to be convened by the government.

Along with the permanent political solution issue, the commitment to include 11 Gorkha sub-communities in the scheduled tribe list issue has irked the Hills. “This issue had also found mention in the BJP party election manifesto during the Assembly elections but nothing has been done yet,” stated Amit Thapa Mangar, General Secretary of Gorkha Bharatiya Janjati Mahasangha (GBJM). The GBJM held a meeting on Monday with representatives of the 11 sub-communities. “We have decided to hold a massive silent rally in Darjeeling town on July 30, carrying placards to wake the BJP-led Union government from slumber,” added Mangar.