Mamata's TMC meet for Kalimpong

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Oct. 6: Mamata Banerjee will address a Trinamul meeting in Kalimpong in the first week of November at a time the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is trying hard to contain dissent in the area.

The exact date of the meeting has not been finalised by the Trinamul chief but instructions have been sent to hill leaders of the party to start preparing for the event in the first week of November.

It will be the first political meeting to be addressed by Mamata in Kalimpong.

Rajen Mukhia, president, Trinamul (hills), said: "Mamata Banerjee will be addressing a party meeting in Kalimpong in the first week of November. She hasn't given us the exact date. During the meeting, we expect her to spell out the strategy for the party in the hills."

For the past couple of years, the Morcha is perceived to be slowly losing some support in Kalimpong, especially after Mamata formed a development board for the Lepcha community. Around 70-80 per cent of the Lepchas live in Kalimpong subdivision.

With the Morcha feeling the pinch, it had recently formed the Janmukti Lepcha Organisation, the first community-based wing of the party.

Mamata has also announced development boards for Tamang, Sherpa, Bhutia and Mangar communities. The heads of development boards for Lepchas and Tamangs are from Kalimpong.

Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri's rebellion against the Morcha and the support he is receiving for the demand to upgrade the subdivision to a district seem to have made the ground fecund for Mamata to organise a political meeting.

Chhetri has not yet given any indication of his political plan. Chhetri, when he was still with the Morcha, had called on the chief minister during her last visit to the hills in the middle of September, defying an instruction from the leadership not to meet her.

"There is no doubt that Chhetri is close to Mamata and his decision to rebel against the Morcha leadership has given Mamata the right opportunity to make a serious political start in the hills," said an observer.