Deb slams hill alliance

TT, 17 April 2019, Siliguri: The BJP and its allies in the Darjeeling hills came under attack from senior Trinamul leader and Bengal tourism minister Gautam Deb on Tuesday as the election campaign closed down in the Darjeeling Parliament seat.

Deb, who spoke at the district Trinamul office here on Tuesday afternoon, said the BJP and its associates' attempt to host a "united rally" and claim a "political win" on Monday was a childish act.

"The BJP and its allies in the hills claimed that they had politically won the Darjeeling seat and organised a so-called rally. It is nothing but a childish act and far from reality. In the hills, the BJP hardly has any base and it cannot even hold a rally with 100 people. They are just resorting to gimmicks but such tactics will not work in the polls," said Deb.

He also went after the GNLF and its chief Mann Ghisingh and accused him of joining hands with those people who did not let him conduct his mother's last rites in the hills after her demise.

In the Darjeeling seat, GNLF has allied with the BJP and the Bimal Gurung faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha this time.

"I don't want to comment on the GNLF leader because those who forced his father (late Subash Ghisingh) to leave the hills and live in exile and did not allow his mother's body to enter the hills for her last rites joined hands with him. They also lack the support base and after the elections, they will realise that people in the hills and plains have not liked their decision of allying with the BJP," said Deb.

The Trinamul leader also raised questions over poll promises of the BJP, which include establishment of an AIIMS-like hospital and a central university in the hills.

"What they were doing in the past five years, because they had an MP from Darjeeling? He was also a minister in the NDA government for at least three years and yet, none of these projects was taken up," Deb said, referring to Darjeeling MP S.S. Ahluwalia, who had won the seat in 2014.