TMC meet on Gurung turf - Morcha bike rally an hour before meeting

The Yuva Morcha bike rally in Darjeeling on Sunday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Aug. 14: The Trinamul Congress (hills) today organised a public meeting in Bimal Gurung's constituency Tukvar, an hour after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's youth wing took out a bike rally.

While the Trinamul meeting attended by 500-odd supporters was held at noon, the Yuva Morcha rally with around 100 bikes started about 11am.

Trinamul leaders had announced the meeting on Friday and Morcha leaders claimed the bike rally was planned on Thursday but party sources said it was finalised last night.

Police said the bike rally, which started from Singamari and ended at Tukvar in the evening, was taken out without permission.

N.B. Khawash, a member of the Trinamul core committee and party spokesperson, said: "We organised the rally in Tukvar because people of the area wanted us to hold a meeting there. We wanted to hold the meeting last Sunday but since the Morcha was holding a meeting, we postponed it to today."

The Trinamul meet was held near Tukvar tea garden factory, about 3km from Vah-Tukvar football ground, where last week Gurung had urged youths to speak their hearts out.

The area is in GTA's Tukvar constituency.

Asked about the significance of the meet in Gurung's constituency, Khawash said: "It is very significant as people in Tukvar, too, want change. We feel that the place is one of the most underdeveloped areas in the GTA."

Khawash added: "Our chief minister has already accepted the Gorkhaland word by forming the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and hence, the identity issue has been solved. Identity of a community comes from preserving it and the state is preserving the culture of different communities through development boards."

Pranay Rai, the president of TMC youth (Kalimpong subdivision), said: "About two years ago, it would be impossible for the opposition to hold a meeting at Tukvar. But we are holding a meeting here peacefully and this shows that democracy is returning to the hills and people want peace and development."

Morcha chief Gurung who was in Delhi reached Darjeeling yesterday.

Khawash said the bike rally had no message or significance. "It looked like an Independence Day rally with national and Morcha flags on bikes. I did not see any connection between the Tricolour and Morcha flag."

Asked about the bike rally, Yuva Morcha spokesperson Sidhant Rai said: "It is an example of a democratic agitation for Gorkhaland. This had been in our minds since Thursday."

Last week, Yuva Morcha had announced that every Thursday it would hold rallies.

A police officer said: "We have got a complaint from Trinamul saying the bikers said a lot of things to them. We will prosecute those who held the bike rally without permission."