Harka may pose a serious threat to GJM chief Bimal.... Chettri has the backing of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.... Chettri party may find many takers

HT, 21 Dec 2015, SILIGURI: Political circles are abuzz with talk of Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chettri emerging as a serious threat to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). Harka Bahadur Chettri, came all guns blazing while launching an attack on GJM on Sunday. The timing of his scathing attack came at a time when he is backed by none other than the chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who said that the state government decided to form a separate Kalimpong district as demanded by Chettri.

He branded the GJM as a party led by visionless and incapable leaders, who have no idea how to make the government concede to the demands of common people.

“However, these leaders will not be able take hill people for a ride for long as capable and competent people will soon take over. The GJM leaders are not even competent enough to run a municipality,” he said at a press meet in Siliguri.

He said Kalimpong District Demand Committee, which Chettri heads, would have no relevance once a separate district is formed.

However, the historical achievement would go to waste if incompetent and corrupt people run it, he said, adding that the onus is now on the shoulders of competent people who have ideas. Chettri said that he is under tremendous pressure to form a new party, which would be formed soon. The new party, according to him, would work to clean the hills from corruption and pursue issues like problem of drinking water which have not been addressed since independence.

“Entire hills need a change as good people have been pushed to the walls by corrupt and insincere leaders,” the MLA said adding that the GJM leaders are worried about their future after the demand for separate Kalimpong district was accepted.

He questioned the integrity of the GJM leaders, who, he said, are not even sincere to the cause of separate state of Gorkhaland.

Chettri added the GJM failed to espouse the cause of temporary and volunteer teachers, who are demanding permanent jobs. “The GJM leaders say one thing in public while do just the opposite,” Chettri said.

He blasted Bimal Gurung for his ‘lack of will’ to pressurize the government to concede the demand of separate Gorkhaland.

“GJM president never asked the party’s three MLAs to raise the issue of Gorkhaland in the state assembly,” he said.

Chettri had resigned from the GJM on September 18 after Gurung asked three MLAs to resign from the assembly to protest against the alleged intervention of the state government in the functioning of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

SILIGURI: If the presence of people in the rally addressed by Harka Bahadur Chettri at Kalimpong on Sunday is any indicator, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has sufficient reasons to worry in the days to come.

Chettri, who was accorded a warm welcome on his way to his hometown Kalimpong from Kolkata, said the state government’s decision to create a new Kalimpong district is a Christmas gift to the people of Kalimpong. Addressing a rally at Kalimpong’s Mela Ground, Chettri said, “Very soon, the hill people will get a New Year’s gift. This is construed as an indication that a new party will be formed on New Year’s eve.”

Sunday’s rally, organised by Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association to celebrate the 284th birth anniversary of a Lepcha King, was also attended by former GJM leaders like Anmole Prasad, Amar Lama, who is also the younger brother of slain All India Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang and Mahindra P Lama, the former vice-chancellor of Sikkim Central University.

Prasad and Lama - who had formed parts of GJM teams that went to Kolkata and Delhi for negotiation during the GJM’s Gorkhaland movement - had left the party after Tamang was killed allegedly by the GJM supporters on May 2, 2010.

Mahindra P Lama resigned as the pro-vice chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University to contest Lok Sabha election 2014 from Darjeeling. L S Tamsang, the chairman of Lepcha Development Board and other office bearers of the Board, were also present in the rally. Similarly, Kishor Pradhan and Arun Ghatani of the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists were also present.

Observers said Chettri would rope in more people to his new party fold. Many of them are still active in the GJM but disillusioned with the GJM brand of politics.