After poll reverse, Aroop calls Harka traitor

SNS, SILIGURI, 18 May 2017: State minister for PWD and Youth Services; Sports Aroop Biswas today branded Harka Bahadur Chhetri, president of Jan Andolan Party (JAP) and former MLA from Kalimpong as a betrayer. Speaking to reporters, on the sideline of the, Agro Business Synergy meet in Siliguri today.

Biswas expressed unhappiness over the role of Chhetri ahead of the civic body elections in the Hills, including in Kalimpong. Reacting to the 'unexpected' results in Kalimpong, the PWD minister Aroop Biswas said "I talked to Chettri to make an alliance with his party JAP Even he came to my office. But he in fact dragged on the matter just ahead of polls'

"Harka Bahadur Chetrri virtually betrayed us and helped the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) to win seats in Kalimpong. We suspect, since he was named in the FIR in connection with the Madan Tamang murder case, he has been maintaining a tacit understanding with the GJMM to save himself," Mr Biswas told reporters here today.

Asked to comment on the unexpected defeat in Kalimpong, after formation of a separate district, Mr Biswas said! "Total votes of the Trinamul Congress and JAP candidates are more than the GJMM's votes. Not only that the Trinamul Congress was trailing by nearly 3660 votes in four municipal areas.We would be able to make it up easily in the next election in the hills,"

Biswas did not hesitate to criticise even the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF). "The GNLF party leadership extended cooperation to our candidates as alliance partner but the lower level leaders and workers betrayed them in many areas in the Hills during civic polls," said Biswas. 

Former Kalimpong MLA Chettri, who was very close to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, was not available for comment. Chettri, who stepped down as vice chairman of North Bengal Development Council a few days before civic polls, had expressed unhappiness over behavior of some Hill Trinamul Congress leaders.