CPRM to field Rai in a jolt to `consensus'

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 11 Mar 2019, Darjeeling: The Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists on Sunday declared its president and three-time MP R.B. Rai as the candidate for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, half-an-hour before it was to sit for a meeting with other parties in Siliguri to finalise a "consensus" nominee to fight the polls.

The Siliguri meeting was convened by the GNLF and attended by the Jana Andolan Party, CPRM, ABGL, CPM and the Congress. It was decided at the meeting that a committee would be formed immediately to declare a consensus candidate by March 15.

The CPM, according to GNLF spokesman Neeraj Zimba, told the meeting that it would unconditionally support a consensus candidate but the name would have to be declared by March 15 and there should not be a fractured consensus.

"Or else, the CPM will chart its own course of action," said Zimba.

The GNLF spokesman also said the Congress, too, was planning to support a "local" candidate but stated that a final decision would have to be taken by the high command.

With the non-Darjeeling parties making their stand, the onus now lies with hill parties to come up with a consensus candidate.

However, the CPRM's decision to announce the candidate has posed fresh challenges.

"Since parties were finding it difficult to come up with a name, our party's central council has decided to nominate our president, R.B. Rai's as the candidate," said Govind Chhetri, the spokesman for the CPRM. Even though the CPRM said it was willing to withdraw from the fray if consensus evolved, observers believe that would be easier said than done.

"Rai is a leader of standing in the hills and it would be difficult to ignore him and say they have found a better candidate," said an observer. "Other political parties have their task cut and this could be the start of the fissure deepening," the observer added.

Many believe it would also be a test for the hill parties clamouring for the consensus candidate to prove that they have no interests on their own.

The CPRM said it would press for "any constitutionally guaranteed body that would meet the identity and aspirations" of the Gorkhas and for restoration of democracy in the hills.

The CPRM did not spell the word "Gorkhaland" -- perhaps a tactic to seek support from parties like the CPM and the Congress.

"Without the support of parties in the plains, it would be difficult to win the Darjeeling seat this time, and the Gorkhaland word is another major challenge in bringing the hill and plains-centric parties together," said an observer..