LS polls: Hill parties start political exercises
Darjeeling: With the Lok Sabha elections round-the-corner, Hill parties have started political exercises. With BJP yet to translate assurances into action, ally GNLF knocked on the doors of Union Home minister Amit Shah, urging him to deliver. Closer home, Panchayat members belonging to the BJP and Hamro Party crossed over to the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) on Thursday.
Since 2009, BJP candidates have been winning Parliamentary elections from Darjeeling backed by Hill parties on repeated assurances of resolving the Gorkha political impasse. In 2019, they managed a thumping victory with assurances of 11 sub communities of the Gorkhas in the scheduled tribe list along with a permanent political solution to the Gorkha impasse.
This had found mention in the election manifesto of the Saffron Brigade. Both the assurances are yet to see the light of day despite BJP candidate Raju Bista managing a thumping victory over these assurances.
On Wednesday evening Mann Ghising, president, Gorkha National Liberation Front along with Kalyan Dewan, Darjeeling (Hills) district BJP president and MP Raju Bista knocked on the doors of Union minister Amit Shah in Delhi.
“We had a fruitful meeting with Amit Shah. We urged him to fulfill the commitments towards the Gorkhas as mentioned in the BJP election manifesto of 2019. We are optimistic that something fruitful will definitely happen,” stated Mann Ghising. Earlier, Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba, talking to media persons, had earlier claimed that the Union government has started the process for a permanent political settlement. “A Union Territory could be carved out or a 6th Schedule status could be granted to separate us from Bengal. Only BJP can give justice to the Gorkhas. The GNLF will support BJP in 2024,” added
Zimba. In another development closer home, five Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samity members from Singel and Lamatar, crossed over from the BJP and Hamro Party to Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) on Thursday.
Out of the 5, four are from BJP and one from HP. They were welcomed to the BGPM fold by party president Anit Thapa. “Their decision is right as it will help bring peace and development in the areas they represent,” stated Thapa.
