Come here and see: Gurung to Mamata

TT, Calcutta, July 31: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung today asked the chief minister to "come and see the sad situation" in the hills, hours before Mamata Banerjee landed in Bagdogra.

"Miss Mamata Banerjee talks about coming to the hills again and again..... She should come and see the sad situation here, the tyranny of the Bengal government. The situation that has been created in the hills is worse than that in Kashmir. Our people are being fired upon in rallies," Gurung said in Darjeeling today.

Mamata had last visited the hills on June 8, the day Morcha supporters clashed with police outside the venue where the chief minister met her cabinet, leading to a flare-up and the subsequent call for the indefinite agitation.

The Morcha chief today also dared the chief minister to prove the alleged "Maoist and Northeast links" in the current phase of the statehood agitation in the hills.

"Being the chief minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee should stop making unfounded statements, Her police should investigate and find out what kind of Maoists are here, where they are staying and which Maoists are using arms," Gurung said.

"We would also like to tell the Union government that we will never go for an undemocratic agitation in this country. Nine of our people have been killed because we are into a democratic agitation," he said.

During the 10-minute news conference, the Morcha president repeatedly referred to the allegations of "Maoist and Northeast links" in the agitation.

"Sometimes they talk about links with the Northeast. I vehemently condemn these kind of false statements," he said.

Mamata has expressed worries over China's alleged interference in the hill affairs.

Political observers said the Morcha, in all probability, believes that the Centre, which has been maintaining a stoic silence on the current agitation, would be extra cautious in dealing with the situation following the allegations of insurgent links.

Gurung, who had maintained that Darjeeling MP S.S. Ahluwalia was "doing his job" in Delhi, today said he must now intervene.

"I am in touch with the MP. The time has come for him as he has won on the issue of Gorkhaland. The silence is saddening," said Gurung.