Thapa backs arch rivals

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 12 Jun 2019, Darjeeling: A key leader of the Binay Tamang camp of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Tuesday condemned the arrest of a member of the Bimal Gurung faction and the questioning of a GNLF leader, taking many in the Darjeeling hills by surprise given the background of acrimony.

Anit Thapa's move to come out in support of veteran leader R.P. Waiba of the Gurung camp of the Morcha and Ajoy Edwards of the GNLF, hailing them for their service to the hill community, is being seen as an attempt to bolster the image of the Tamang faction and also fashion it as a champion of the local populace.

That none from the Gurung group of the Morcha, the GNLF and the BJP, a new axis that has been successfully contesting elections in the Darjeeling hills, has strongly protested the police action on loyalists has accentuated the Tamang bloc's overtures.

Waiba was arrested on Sunday in a 2017 case and has been sent to judicial custody. Edwards has been called to the Darjeeling Sadar and Jorebungalow police stations for the past two days.

Thapa, a Morcha general secretary, said: "I heard that the police called R.P. Waiba for an inquiry and now he has been arrested and sent to jail. He is 80 years old, he is like a father (to me). We were together as a team during the (statehood) agitation," Thapa said.

"It is true that I opposed the way the agitation was taking place and came out," he said, adding that he "respected" Waiba.

"The police have slapped cases and sent him to jail. I condemn this. I request the police to keep in mind his age and release him. He is not a criminal but a person who will fight for the community," Thapa said.

He announced that he would go and "meet" Waiba and raise his voice in support of the octogenarian leader.

Thapa said the police should not exert pressure on GNLF leader Edwards.

"I can see that he is raising his voice (for the hill community). The police should not do this just because he is raising his voice," Thapa said.

Edwards was the only prominent GNLF leader to immediately protest Waiba's arrest.

Thapa, the chairperson of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration's board of administrators, stressed the need to uphold peace in Darjeeling. "We must not take the law into our own hands. It is with great difficulty that we brought peace. It is also the duty of the police and the administration to uphold peace," he added.

Political observers in Darjeeling said Thapa's comments were surprising as it is widely believed that the Tamang camp owes its rise to the state government's support.

A source said Thapa was probably trying to project himself and his group as an entity that spoke in favour of the hill people irrespective of their political affiliation.

"The statement comes at a time when some sections are asking why the newly elected BJP MP and the MLA (from Darjeeling) and other Opposition leaders in the hills are not doing much for the release of arrested leaders," the source said..