N Bengal issues to plague new government

HT, 8 May 2016, Kolkata: The people have started pondering what lies in store post-May 19 for the state that witnessed unprecedented political mud-slinging during the election period.

Although issues such as the Narada sting operation, Saradha scam, Nandigram, Singur and Lalgarh would continue to occupy centre stage statewide, issues pertaining to North Bengal and the people in the region belonging to different ethnic groups would continue to trouble the state government no matter which party comes to power.

The demand for the creation of Gorkhaland and political and administrative exercises for and against the demand is set to resurface in Darjeeling hills while the hitherto suppressed movement for creation of separate a Cooch Behar state is likely get a fillip.

The Trinamool’s election promise to recognise Rajbonshi or the Kamtapuri language as the state language would provide ample fuel for organisations such as Kamtapur Progressive Party (KPP) to pursue the demand. Similarly the state government’s announcement to create a separate Kalimpong district with Jan Andolan Party using it as a weapon to hit upon Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) would make the goings in North Bengal all the more interesting.

Cutthroat competition among the parties such as Trinamool and BJP to woo different ethnic groups before the Assembly election as they promised to sympathetically look into their long-pending aspirations would go a long way to make the days to come more interesting, politically.

The BJP, according to senior GJM leaders, had not been advocating for the creation of a separate Gorkhaland state only for one reason: the Assembly election in West Bengal. As the elections are over and the BJP does not have much stake in the state, its central leaders according to GJM would throw their weight behind the creation of Gorkhaland.

A senior GJM leader said, “Now we will go all-out and pursue the BJP leaders to advocate the creation of Gorkhaland.” In its Lok Sabha election manifesto in 2009 and 2014, the BJP said it will sympathetically look into the long-pending aspirations of Gorkhas. GJM and BJP are alliance partners and the BJP won the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Darjeeling with GJM support.

The BJP which is desperate to win the elections in North Bengal has also assured to honour the Coochbehar merger agreement signed with India in 1949. The Greater Coochbehar People’s Association, Ananta Ray faction, which wants the creation of a separate Coochbehar state, supported the BJP. The GCPA which cites the merger agreement as the basis to create a separate Coochbehar state, wants the Centre to honour the agreement.

Mamata Banerjee’s move to create separate development boards in Darjeeling hills, create separate Kalimpong district and the resignation of Harka Bhadur Chettri, Kalimpong MLA from GJM, and subsequent formation of JAP would definitely change the political course of the hills.

If Chettri, the JAP president who is contesting as an independent candidate from Kalimpong Assembly seat with the support of Trinamool, wins, this would ring the bell for the immediate political downfall of GJM and its president Bimal Gurung.

In case Chettri loses, JAP would join hands with TMC and other opposition parties in the hills and raise issues pertaining to common people while throwing the GJM in bad light. The formation of a separate Kalimpong district, which is likely if the TMC comes to power, will give JAP much required arsenal to fight against the GJM. However, GJM which is rapidly losing its support base in a bid to guard its citadel will play the Gorkhaland card and agitate thus pursuing the BJP to push the ball.

No matter what the election results are, the hills would head to another chaotic path while the movement for a separate Cooch Behar state and the recognition of Ranbonshi language would occupy centre stage in the plains.