GJMM captures Madarihaat PS with TMC help

SNS, Siliguri, 2 September 2013: In a significant political development, the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha captured the Madarihat panchayat samiti in the Dooars in Jalpaiguri today with the help of elected members belonging to the Trinamul Congress. When the GJMM leaders in the Hills, including its chief Mr Bimal Gurung, has been criticising the Trinamul-led state government and its chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee, the GJMM activists in the plains decided to establish their old political relations forming the Madarihat panchayat samiti. 

It may be noted that the GJMM and its ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led by the ABAVP splinter group had made a political understanding to contest the rural polls. 

It was also decided that both the GJMM and JMM leadership would also make seat adjustment with the ruling party to contest the rural polls and the Trinamul leadership had been keeping in touch with them. 

Apparently political scenario was changed after many GJMM leaders and workers including the MLA from Kalchini, backed by the GJMM, Mr Wilson Champramari joined the Trinamul Congress. 

Interestingly, the GJMM leadership wanted to involve the Trinamul Congress at the time of formation of hung gram panchayats and panchayat samitis in this district. 

The GJMM leader in the Dooars, Mr Ashok Lama, before his arrest, said: “Nobody would be able to form the board without the help of our elected candidates and we want to form the board with the help of Trinamul Congress.” 

Mr Lama had to comment when the All India Trinamul Congress general secretary Mr Mukul Roy came to review the rural poll results in Jalpaiguri and instructed the Trinamul Congress not to join hands with the GJMM to form any hung board. 

The objective of this instruction was to keep a safe distance with the GJMM to save the party image on the issue of division of Bengal when the GJMM had started an agitation demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland ignoring the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. 

The Jalpaiguri Trinamul leadership then tried to pacify the GJMM elected members to join their party or function with them as Independent candidates. In order to curb the GJMM, the state started arresting its party leaders, including the GTA members. 

Mr Ashok Lama was arrested when he was started organising rallies in the Dooars demanding separate statehood. 

But today the GJMM elected members managed supports from the elected Trinamul Congress candidates offering them saha-sabhapati post of Madarihat panchayat samiti. 

It may be noted that out of the 26-member Madarihat panchayat samiti the GJMM candidates won seven seats, Trinamul secured five and JMM managed two seats. To capture the board, a ‘magic figure’ of 14 seats was required here. 

Mr S Ghishing, a GJMM candidate, was elected as sabhapati and Mr Takdir Biswakarma, a Trinamul candidate was elected his deputy. In Jalpaiguri, three panchayat samitis were formed today. 

Of them, the Left Front captured two PSs. The CPI-M formed the Rajganj panchayat samiti today electing Mr Sailen Mandal as sabhapati and Mr Gayendra Mandal as saha-sabhapati. Both of them belong to the CPI-M. 

The LF secured 20 seats out of 34 ones. The LF also captured Alipurduar-I PS where the CPI-M candidate Mr Sujay Singh was elected as sabhapati and Mr Lakshmikanta Roy, elected from RSP ticket, was elected as saha-sabhapati.

(Source & Courtesy: http://www.thestatesman.net/news/13220-gjmm-captures-madarihaat-ps-with-tmc-help.html)