CM in hills amid Morcha arrest suspense - Expected: Gurung team at Mamata door to discuss Madan Tamang case

Mamata Banerjee at the Malda College auditorium on Monday. Picture by Surajit Roy

TT, June 15: Mamata Banerjee will be in Darjeeling for two days from June 17 at a time peace in the hills is threatened after arrest warrants were issued against almost all top Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders in the Madan Tamang murder case.

Mamata left for Malda this evening by train - the first time since becoming chief minister- for a five-day visit to north Bengal.

"Didi will leave for Darjeeling tomorrow evening or Wednesday morning. There is a possibility of her holding a meeting of the Uttarbanga Unnayan Parishad (North Bengal Development Council) in Darjeeling," said a close aide to Mamata who is accompanying her.

Mamata left Howrah station for Malda this afternoon.

Twenty-three Morcha leaders and activists have been named in the CBI chargesheet in connection with the May 2010 murder of then ABGL president Madan Tamang.

The names include Morcha president Bimal Gurung, general secretary Roshan Giri, assistant secretary Binay Tamang, Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Gurung's wife Asha. The arrests are to be executed by June 26.

The Morcha leaders and activists have applied for anticipatory bail, the hearing for which is expected to be tomorrow in Calcutta.

According to sources, a Morcha delegation was likely to call on the chief minister during her stay in Darjeeling. Sources close to the chief minister said Harka Bahadur had called on her some days back, seeking her intervention in the case but Mamata said she could not do anything since it was a CBI case. "The law will take its own course. The state government has not ordered the arrest of the Morcha leaders. It is the court's decision. The state government will not allow law and order in the hills to suffer," said Gautam Deb, the north Bengal development minister.

The Morcha hasn't called a strike in the hills though the situation has remained tense following the issuing of the arrest warrants.

During her four years as chief minister, Mamata's ties with the Morcha leadership went through ups and downs. Her relationship with the Morcha had soured over her decision to set up a development board for the Lepchas. On September 2013, Mamata was felicitated by the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association in Kalimpong for setting up the development board, ignoring a " ghar bhitra janta" (stay at home) call by the Morcha.

Mamata's decision to field Bhaichung Bhutia as the Trinamul candidate in Darjeeling in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls also irked the Morcha. The Morcha backed BJP candidate S.S. Ahluwalia and ensured a thumping win for him.

ABGL president Bharati Tamang, who has been on a hunger strike since yesterday demanding the arrest of the Morcha leaders, could also seek an appointment with the chief minister during her stay, said sources close to the hill leader.

During her stay in the hills, some of the pending infrastructure projects, like the north Bengal development department office in Kurseong, are likely to be flagged off. On her arrival at Malda this evening, Mamata attended a review meeting of the district at the Durga Kinkar Sadan in Malda College before leaving for Raiganj. Tomorrow, the chief minister is scheduled to attend the review meetings of North and South Dinajpur districts and then proceed to Siliguri.