Ahluwalia Nepal jibe gets hill parties' goat.... hill parties sought an unconditional apology

VIVEK CHHETRI , TT, 2 March 2019, Darjeeling: A purported comment by BJP MP S.S. Ahluwalia that many of those demanding a son-of-the-soil candidate for the Darjeeling seat "were born in Nepal" has stirred a hornet's nest with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief chief Binay Tamang threatening to sue him and other hill parties slamming him.

The statement, reportedly by Ahluwalia at a news conference in Siliguri on Thursday, has been widely criticised on social media. Observers believe the outrage is seen as a sign of the BJP's alienation from the hill community and his lack of understanding of the identity issue of the Indian Gorkhas.

While Tamang has said he will drag Ahluwalia to court over the issue, the Morcha is expected to start a campaign on this issue from Saturday. Responding to questions about the demand for a son-of-the- soil candidate, Ahluwalia reportedly questioned the term's definition and wondered if it only meant someone from the hills. The Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat includes three Assembly seats from the hills and four from the plains.

Ahluwalia, a minister in the Narendra Modi government, then pointed out that he was also a "son-of-the-soil of Bengal as he was born in Asansol. He then added: "Many of them who are demanding (a son-of-the-soil nominee) were born in Nepal.

The Tamang-led Morcha and other parties in the hills have been testing the waters for a consensus candidate and advocating a "son-of-the-soil" nominee.

In the hills, where the Indian identity of the Gorkhas and their distinctiveness from Nepal's citizens is an emotive issue, Ahluwalia's statement has landed like a bombshell. "We will drag him to court for his highly condemnable statement. When he won the Darjeeling seat by nearly 2 lakh votes, we were not from Nepal. Those who cast their votes for him then were not from Nepal," said Tamang.

"Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri, who are still close with Ahluwalia must also clear their stand after this statement," Tamang added.

The GNLF, Jana Andolan Party and the CPRM sought an unconditional apology from Ahluwalia. The MP could not be immediately contacted for comment.