CM in hills next week .....First Mamata trip in eight months after Tamang rise

VIVEK CHHETRI AND BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, Darjeeling/ Siliguri: Mamata Banerjee will visit Darjeeling next week for the first time in more than eight months, a period during which the political landscape of the hills has changed significantly.

Sources said the chief minister will reach Siliguri on February 5 and is likely to stay in Sukna on the city 's outskirts. " The next day, she will travel to Darjeeling and on February 7, she will attend a programme at Chowrasta.

She is scheduled to leave Darjeeling on February 8, " said a source.

Mamata had last visited the hills, starting with Mirik, in the first week of June 2017.

On June 8, she had held a cabinet meeting at the Raj Bhavan in Darjeeling but violence had erupted soon after the meeting when Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters clashed with police to protest alleged " imposition " of Bengali in hill schools.

Earlier, the district administration had clarified that the language was not being imposed.

Even the chief minister, while addressing a meeting at Mirik, had assuaged such fears.

Mamata had gone to Mirik before Darjeeling as the Trinamul Congress had snatched the civic body from the Morcha for the first time in local polls.

" The visit ( next week) is significant as it is Mamata Banerjee ' s first after Binay Tamang emerged as the Morcha ' s key leader. It is also an indication that the state government is firmly in control of the law and order situation in the hills, " said an observer.

Before heading to Darjeeling on February 5, Mamata will attend a centralised meeting of Trinamul student and youth wings from north Bengal in Siliguri.

On Friday, state tourism minister Gautam Deb visited the venue, Siliguri ' s Kanchenjungha Stadium, where 50,000- odd students and youths are expected to attend the meeting.

" Mamata Banerjee will address students and youths from all eight districts of north Bengal. The objective the event is to send a clear message to youths and students, who are our supporters, to start apprising people about the development works taken up by the state, " said Deb, also Trinamul district president ( Darjeeling plains).

In recent times, Trinamul has not taken up such a programme in the region. " Back in 2006, we had organised a similar centralised meeting of tea workers in Malbazar. This is the first time we are hosting such an event for youths and students of our party, " added Deb.

Observers said the focus of the BJP on north Bengal had prompted Trinamul to marshal its frontal organisations, like TMCP and Youth Trinamul.

After the violence in Darjeeling last June, the Bengali language issue took a backseat with Morcha leader Bimal Gurung raising the statehood demand and the hills were shut for 104 days from June 15.

However, during the course of the statehood agitation, Gurung went into hiding and Tamang emerged as the key leader of the Morcha.

Since October, Tamang ' s camp has held a number of public meetings across the hills which attracted impressive gatherings in Kurseong, Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Sukna.

The Morcha camp headed by Tamang has also removed Gurung as party president.

" The party leadership wants all its workers and supporters, whether in the frontal organisations or in the mother party, to put their best efforts to prevent BJP from scoring at the upcoming rural polls. That is why, the meeting has been organised, " said an observer.