GNLF families join Morcha

Rajeev Ravidas, TT, Kalimpong, Jan. 18: Over 100 families belonging to the GNLF from Dabaipani village in Takdah-Glernburn GTA constituency today joined the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the presence of Bimal Gurung who told them that efforts were on to adopt their remote area as the first model village in the hills under the Prime Minister's Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.

The 110 families under the leadership of the GNLF village protection committee chief, Sarad Rai, said they had supported the Morcha but drifted to the GNLF after seeing the attitude of local Morcha leaders. "What we have now realised is that we were victims of neglect by the local Morcha leadership, and not the central leadership. We have full confidence in the Morcha president," said Rai.

Morcha president Gurung welcomed the new entrants at the party headquarters in Darjeeling. Dabaipani is around 30km from Darjeeling. "Dabaipani will be turned into a model village, for which the paper works are going on. Once it is adopted, the entire village will be developed," Gurung said.

Darjeeling MP, S.S. Ahluwalia, has already identified Dabaipani as a prospective model village in the hills.