Flag race to keep up with Trinamul

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Flags of the Trinamul Congress and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha at different
places in Darjeeling town. Pictures by Suman Taman

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Oct. 23: Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Darjeeling has kicked off a flag race among the parties in the hills.

Since early this morning, Trinamul workers started planting party flags across Darjeeling to welcome Mamata, who reached in the evening.

The roads leading to Richmond Hill, the state guesthouse where the chief minister would stay, have Trinamul flags and festoons all around.

Soon, Morcha leaders started mobilising supporters to plant party flags around the Chowk Bazar and the Motor Stand. In a couple of hours, almost an equal number of Morcha and Trinamul Congress flags were seen fluttering in Darjeeling.

“We will plant more Morcha flags tomorrow. We will put up as many flags as possible,” said a leader of Morcha’s Darjeeling subdivisional committee. In Kalimpong, GNLF workers planted party flags around the 10th Mile area early this morning. But in the evening, some flags were brought down.

CM school trip

Mamata Banerjee paid a surprise visit to St Joseph’s Girls’ School in Kurseong on Wednesday morning. The school was opposite the WBSEDCL guesthouse where she had spent the night.

The chief minister heard the school’s morning prayers from the guest house and decided to go there.

After 10 minutes with the students, she returned to the guesthouse and instructed officials to arrange to send chocolates to the students, saying: “I love children and want to see them happy.”

A short while later, Mamata settled down before her easel and painted a picture of hills and trees and a small hut.

After she completed the painting, she held it out towards the students, who were peering out of their classrooms. The students cheered.

As Mamata was leaving the guest house, some students turned up with a banner that read: “Thank you for visiting our school.”