TMC holds post-Puja event in Kurseong...

Trinamul leader Aroop Biswas speaks at the
Bijaya Sammilani in Kurseong on Tuesday 

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 31 Oct 2018, Darjeeling: The Trinamul Congress organised Bijaya Sammilani -- a get-together -- in Kurseong on Tuesday at a time Binay Tamang was pressing for elections to the GTA.

The event was attended by senior Trinamul leader Aroop Biswas. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Tamang, general secretary Anit Thapa and representatives of various organisations were present at the event at the community hall in Nayabazar.

This is the first time that Trinamul organised a Bijaya Sammilani in the hills. Such gatherings -- organised after Puja -- are common in the plains.

Observers believe Trinamul is starting its groundwork to reach out to the people of the hills.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event, Tamang said: "This was not a political programme.I have already stated that we are ready to face any elections." Elections to the GTA are slowly becoming the primary focus in the hills.

In fact, Roshan Giri, who is currently on the run, posted a message in social media on Tuesday, subtly hinting that the Bimal Gurung camp of the Morcha was not very comfortable with the idea of GTA elections.

Accusing Tamang of trying to grab power with the help of the administration and alleging lack of democracy in the hills, Giri said: "Power hungry people will not be able to see the impact on education and students when two elections are held within a span of two three months in the beginning of 2019." Giri seems to be referring to the GTA and Lok Sabha elections.

"Repeated elections will also hamper development works," said Giri.

Giri has also talked of the probability of a bill to grant Scheduled Tribe status to 11 hill communities being placed in the winter session of Parliament and once again raised the Gorkhaland issue.

"If you (Tamang) want to heed people's wishes, you should forgo the GTA chair and start an agitation for Gorkhaland," said Giri.

Tamang immediately responded to Giri.

"Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri should stop fooling the people with Gorkhaland and the BJP. The BJP has not even passed a resolution to support Gorkhaland and has done nothing for the statehood in the past 10 years. The BJP did not utter a single word during the 104-day strike," said Tamang.

"Roshan Giri says there is no democracy in the hills but people could not raise their voices against Bimal Gurung from 2007 to 2017. The hill people will not forget the murder of Madan Tamang (ABGL leader and a critic of the Morcha)," said Tamang.

Binay Tamang also demanded that voice recording of an alleged conversation between Giri and other Morcha leaders during the time of Tamang's murder be investigated.