Municipal polls: Harka party eyes Darjeeling, Kurseong and Mirik

Amitava Banerjee, HT, 20 Aug 2016, DARJEELING: Before the impending municipal elections, the Jan Andolan Party (JAP) is all set to expand its support base in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Mirik.

JAP was floated by dissident GJM MLA Harka Bahadur Chettri with the demand for upgrade of Kalimpong subdivision into a district. The party which had formed a coalition with the Trinamool Congress and the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) had managed to make a sizeable dent in the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s (GJM) shield. The GJM’s winning margin nosedived by 50%.

After the success in Kalimpong, the JAP is now eyeing Darjeeling, Kurseong and Mirik. JAP Yuva Ekai (youth wing of JAP) held an organisational meeting in Darjeeling on Friday.

“We want to expand our support base in the tea gardens and rural belt of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Mirik. The people are eyeing JAP as an alternative. We will be contesting municipal elections in all the four Hill Municipalities. We want the people’s mandate,” said Amrit Basnet of the JAP youth wing.

Basnet said JAP is ready to take up any role, either as party in power or in opposition. “However, we are confident of our victory especially in the Kalimpong municipality. The last Assembly election results is a pointer to this. Out of the 23 wards in Kalimpong municipal area, the coalition had won 17 wards,” added Basnet.

Whether JAP will forge an alliance or will go it alone during the municipal elections has not been decided yet. “The elections have not been declared yet. Let the time come and based on the political atmosphere at that time we will decide,” said Basnet.

The issues that JAP is emphasising on is all-round development in the Hills; corruption and nepotism free Gorkhaland Territorial Administration; good governance and violencefree politics; land documents for residents of tea gardens and cinchona plantations.

“The separate state demand tops our vision statement. However, the issue will be taken up when the time is ripe,” explained Basnet.

When confronted with the question as to why the JAP is an ally of the TMC- a party that is anti Gorkhaland, Basnet stated, “It is true the state is run by a TMC Government. However, the state government has nothing to do with the bifurcation of a state. It is a Central subject. Telangana and Jharkhand are examples,” said Basnet.

The youth leaders made it clear that they do not adhere to the GJM’s brand of politics. “Gurung’s threat of resigning from the GTA and launching an agitation is an eyewash. His support base is steadily dwindling and he does not want this to come out in the open. He does not want the public to see that he does not enjoy the mandate so he is trying to create unrest to jeopardise the Municipal elections. He himself has issued a statement that there are bleak chances of Municipal elections being held. Both Gurung and the GJM are undemocratic. They always subscribe to autocratic brand of politics,” alleged Bishal Rai, spokesperson.