Observers feel Lama will go a long way

SNS, 15 May 2014, Kurseong: Academician-turned-social worker, Mahendra P Lama, and his apolitical organization, the Darjeeling Dooars United Development Foundation may turn into a major force in the political spectrum of the Darjeeling and Dooars regions. 

No matter how many votes he secures as the results unfold tomorrow, the independent candidate contesting the Lok sabha election from the Darjeeling constituency, Mr Lama has certainly left an indelible mark on the people’s minds, both in the Hills and the plains, within a short span of time, observers here feel.

The political observers said that the main reason, among the many, behind the possibility of Mr Lama emerging a heavyweight in the political arena in the region is that he has not confined himself and his politics to the Hills, but he travelled extensively and spread his message to other communities in the plains too. 

They said that through his charisma he has won the support of the common people as well as the intellectuals both in the hills and the plains. 

They added that leaders in the Hills seldom manage to garner good support in the plains but that Mr Lama has done “something new.”

“Mr Lama has been sincerely talking about an extended separate statehood that goes beyond the hills, and has not kept his vision limited. Inside the contours of his vision, he has reached out to all ethnicities, including the Bengali people. He has talked about solving problems of all.

the communities together with integrity and honesty,” one observer said, requesting anonymity. “Mr Lama’s personal integrity as well as his caliber will surely take him to greater heights, while his foray into mainstream politics has just begun,” another political observer said here.