Hill BJP MLA mocks Dilip with cartoon I will call a spade a spade: Zimba

The cartoon posted by Neeraj Zimba on his
Facebook page (Sourced by The Telegraph)

Vivek Chhetri and Soumya De Sarkar, TT, Darjeeling: Dilip is “The Lip”, mocked Darjeeling BJP MLA Neeraj Zimba and advised the Bengal BJP state president to “Mind Your Lip-Dilip.”

The comment accompanied by a cartoon of Dilip with big red lips on Zimba’s Facebook account summed up the anger against the state BJP president whose comments on Gorkhas and even Gorkhaland have repeatedly angered the community.

The Gorkhas have thrice voted the BJP to parliament from Darjeeling constituency.

The latest trigger was Ghosh’s comment on Gorkhas vis-à-vis Constitutional Amendment Bill where the leader had stated that Gorkhas needn’t to be worried about the CAA and they are protected by an “old treaty with Nepal”.

The India-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty, 1950 allows for free movement, residence and involvement in trade by nationals of India and Nepal in each other’s country.

Ghosh, however, seems distant from the hill sentiments that the privileges granted by the treaty lead to the Gorkhas in India being termed as “immigrants” from Nepal and have demanded abrogation of this clause in the treaty.

Zimba, a GNLF leader whose party is an ally of BJP had fought the Darjeeling assembly polls on a BJP ticket. Not just Zimba but even other hill allies of BJP like Gorkha Janmukti Mukti Morcha (Bimal Gurung camp) and even their bête noire, the Binay Tamang faction of Morcha have all decried Ghosh’s statement.

Even BJP Darjeeling MP, Raju Bista, had issued a written statement saying he was “hurt” and “not at all comfortable with his (Ghosh’s) statements.”

The latest dissent, loaded with sarcasm, paints Ghosh in a very poor light.

Asked about his comment, Zimba told The Telegraph: “I have every right to comment when someone questions my community’s lineage, our history. My community comes first. Leader of Dilip Ghosh’s stature should first understand the history of our community before making a comment.”

The BJP MLA sounded unapologetic and said that “while many may fear to speak, my signature is to call spade-a-spade.” Zimba further said that “the lip” of Dilip has in the past uttered many uncomfortable words for the Gorkha community.

Less than a month back, the hills had erupted with protest, after many thought that Ghosh was drawing a parallel between the deaths of Gorkhas during the 2017 statehood agitation and those killed during the protests against the amended citizenship law in some states.

Zimba has not minced words in his post and after detailing the history of the region, right from the days when it was part of Sikkim, has advised Ghosh “to read this history” and refrain from “loose talks.”