Morcha plans rally to counter GNLF

The crowd at the GNLF meeting in Darjeeling on Sunday. (Passang Yolmo)

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, Jan 29, 2018: Kalimpong: The Binay Tamang faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha seems to have been rattled by the huge turnout at the GNLF's public meeting on Sunday with its youth wing on Monday announcing a "show of strength" of its own within the next couple of months.

The Yuva Morcha also questioned its rival's right to demand the dissolution of the GTA board of administration (BoA) and accused the GNLF president Mann Ghisingh of throwing a challenge to chief minister Mamata Banerjee by making such a demand.

Ghisingh had demanded that the BoA be dissolved immediately as it could prove a hindrance to finding a permanent solution to the hill issue.

Arun Chhetri, the Yuwa Morcha spokesman, told reporters in Darjeeling that by organising the show-of-strength, it wanted to convey the message that the Morcha still enjoyed overwhelming support in the hills.

"The Yuwa Morcha will hold a show-of-strength at the Darjeeling Motor Stand in the next few days... We want to send a message that we enjoy the people's support," he said.

By show-of-strength, Chhetri meant a larger public meeting than the one conducted by the GNLF on Sunday. The date of the meeting, he said, will be finalised at the central committee meeting of the Yuva Morcha in Darjeeling on Wednesday, but it will be held either next month or in March.

Chhetri said the state government had formed the BoA as per the provision of the GTA Act, and Ghisingh had no right to demand its dissolution.

"Mann Ghisingh's statement must be taken as a challenge to Mamata Banerjee and the Bengal government, if it wants, should give a respond to it. However, who has given Mann Ghisingh the right to challenge the provision of the GTA Act?" he asked.

Both the Binay faction of the Morcha and the GNLF are working closely with the chief minister. While Binay was made the chairman of the BoA by the state government, it formed a completely new body called the Hill Area Development Committee with Ghisingh at its helm.

Both the parties have also openly stated that they are in talks with the state government to find a permanent solution to the hill issue. While Binay had said he was discussing a "new arrangement" to solve the twin issues of Gorkha identity and security, Ghisingh had said his party favours an autonomous body under the provision of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.