Kalimpong GNLF seeks 'own' poll candidate

SNS, KALIMPONG, 7 DECEMBER: The Kalimpong unit of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) has called to  for an "own candidate" to be fielded in the Lok Sabha elections for the Darjeeling seat.

The party held a meeting in this regard in local hall in the town as there is no (Kalimpong) branch committee after the party dissolved all its committees to form new ones.

In the meeting, GNLF supporter Sonam Sherpa talked about how the party was not getting any support from the government so far, while others talked about holding discussions with the party president on the choice of the candidate for the upcoming general elections.

"Kalimpong should discuss the candidature and we should be clear that we will not work as a labourer by supporting an outsider as the candidate. We should tell our president that we have to pick our own candidate," Mr Sherpa said.

The meeting also discussed formation of a new committee for the district, and leaders and supporters decided to urge their president Mann Ghisingh to choose a president for the Kalimpong branch who is flexible in all spheres."

"We have to select Kalimpong's president and send it to our President for approval. We should also shortlist the portfolio and send the list to him as soon as possible," Mr Sherpa said.

Yesterday, half of the party members observed 'Accord Day.' the day the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) for the implementation of the Sixth Schedule between the state, Centre and the GNLF was signed in 2005, at the Triveni, while others were in the town pasting posters, demanding Sixth Schedule status for the Hills.

Meanwhile, there have been speculations in the town that the GNLF may be divided into two groups, even as the office secretary of the GNLF in Kalimpong,  Rajen Tamang, has finalised names of people for the party's working committee. The list is all set to reach Mr Ghising tor approval, it is learnt.

Asked if there was such a fissure in the party, senior leader of the party, DK Rai, said it was not so. "We are working to strengthen the party as a whole," he said.

Rajen Tamang also denied there was any rift in the party. "We all are one, we all are GNLF," he said over the telephone as he was not present in today's meeting.