Bengal-GJM bonhomie on stable ground once again

MP, Darjeeling: After a gap of 7 months, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at the Darjeeling Hills on Tuesday. With political equations fast changing in the Hills, the relations between the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the state government are back on track. 

The Chief Minister is on a three-day tour of the Hills. The tour commenced with the naming of the stretch of road from Simulbari to Kurseong as "Subash Ghising Marg." This road was earlier known as Rohini Road.

At the road laying ceremony, flanked by Binay Tamang, Chairman, Board of Administrators, GTA; Mann Ghising, president, GNLF and minister Arup Biswas, the Chief Minister preached the unity mantra as the panacea for the Hills. 

"You all know that I am visiting the Hills after 7 months. For some days, people had stopped visiting the Hills. There were some problems. To do any good thing all have to come together and remain united. When the Hills, plains, Bengali, Nepali, Gorkha and Adivasis work together, then a lot can be achieved even on the development front. Whatever is required in the Hills, we will try to give but we all have to work together and live in peace. It is easy to create rifts. Good things can be destroyed in seconds but it is difficult to coexist, work together and to achieve good things," stated the CM.

Laying the temporary plaque, the CM stated, "Subash Ghising has done a lot for the Hills. This road is being named after him. Later, we will have a permanent plaque."

Incidentally, this road, which has become the lifeline of the Hills, was built by the erstwhile Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council under the Chairmanship of Subash Ghising. Later, the road came under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. 

The day saw GJM, GNLF and TMC supporters lining up on both sides of the road to Darjeeling, to welcome the Chief Minister. Multiple welcome gates were also erected. 

The CM will be attending the prize distribution ceremony of the Himal Terai Dooars Sports Festival in Darjeeling Chowrasta at 2 pm on Wednesday. 

"She will also be paying respects to the family of the martyrs and will also be extending economic support to them on Wednesday at Chowrasta," stated Binay Tamang. 

She will be extending support to family members of 9 persons who had lost their lives in recent agitations in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills. 

On Thursday, the CM will hold bipartite talks with Hill political outfits. Incidentally, a series of meetings have been held in the past to work out an amicable solution to the Gorkha impasse. Thursday's meeting is part of these talks. 

The last time the CM had visited Darjeeling was on June 7, 2017, to hold a cabinet meeting at the Raj Bhavan, Darjeeling. On June 8, 28 ministers had sat in a cabinet meeting at the Raj Bhavan at 2 pm. 

The day, however, had ended on a violent note with multiple flashpoints between the police and GJM supporters, led by Bimal Gurung. 

The unrest spawned into an agitation, ending in a 104-day-long bandh. The GJM, however, has suffered a vertical split with Gurung on the run and Binay Tamang at the helm of affairs. This has resulted in renewed bonhomie between the state and GJM, resulting in the return of peace and political stability.