Members of Lama election trust quit

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, May 22: All five trustees of the Darjeeling Dooars United Development Foundation, which was formed to push the candidature of Mahendra P. Lama in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency in the last general elections, have resigned from the board saying the entity has been dormant ever since its inception.

The five trustees of the foundation, B.K. Pradhan, Bharat Prakash Rai, Rev. C Baruah, Hem Baraily and Udhyan Rai, said in a signed statement: "It has been unanimously resolved that the following trustees of DDUDF have agreed to renounce from the trusteeship of DDUDF owing to the fact that the board of trustee has remained dormant and non functional since its inception."

The decision was taken by the board of trustees at a meeting held in Darjeeling on May 19 under the chairmanship of Pradhan.

Lama, the former vice-chancellor of the Sikkim University, had contested the last Lok Sabha election as an Independent and got 55,767 votes. On March 9 early this year, Lama had said he would form a political party soon as it was the "people's wish".

Pradhan today said: "The very fact that a meeting of the board of trustees hasn't been held even once since its inception propelled us to renounce the trusteeship."

Asked if Lama's decision to form the political party had forced the resignation, Pradhan said: "Well, I was the one who had asked Mahendra bhai to contest the (Lok Sabha) election... there is talk of a political party and we might unnecessarily get dragged into this without our involvement."

Told about the trustees' resignation, Lama, who was in Delhi today, said: "It is their voluntary decision and I have nothing much to say. We will soon constitute a new board."

Asked if his plan to float a political party would be affected, Lama said: "We will definitely float a party as it is the people's wish. We are still working on the date to float the party."