GJM leader’s move may hit BJP in Bengal foothills

Political observers also fear a rift between Gorkhas and Adivasis, now mainly with BJP in another five assembly seats in the Dooars

Saugata Roy | TNN | Oct 23, 2020 | Kolkata: Bimal Gurung’s googly on BJP may affect the party’s prospects in at least two assembly seats in the foothills — Siliguri and Matigara-Naxalbari in north Bengal — having a substantial Gorkha population. These are apart from the three Hills seats that have gone with GJM or GNLF in assembly elections in which Trinamool and BJP played the second fiddle. 

Political observers also fear a rift between Gorkhas and Adivasis, now mainly with BJP in another five assembly seats in the Dooars, spread over Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts like in 2008 following Gurung’s pullout from the NDA. The possibility has come as a bother for BJP after its north Bengal sweep in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. 

The BJP central leadership has asked its Bengal unit to go slow on Gurung, and instead target Trinamool. Taking the cue, Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said: “Why did Gurung have to snap ties with Trinamool? We were with GJM during its bad phase.” 

BJP strategists believe that Hills outfits are likely to support whoever comes to power in Bengal as has been the trend over the last couple of years. 

TMC was also guarded in its response since it has to tackle Gurung, a “proclaimed offender” accused in 150-odd criminal cases, including those under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), and against whom the state had issued a “red notice”. NIA is also probing two cases dating back to the 104-day statehood shutdown in 2017 in which Gurung is among the accused. 

Efforts by governments to give regional autonomy to the Hills people could contain the Gorkhaland sentiment — manifested in agitation since the 1980s — before it surfaced again in 2008, 2013 and 2017. BJP has been carefully nursing it since the 2009 polls till date, winning the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat with GJM support successively. 

GJM (Gurung faction) felt “cheated” at least twice, the latest on October 7 when MHA called a tripartite meeting on Gorkhaland issues and later changed the agenda to Gorkhaland Territorial Administration-related issues. According to GJM sources, Gurung got in touch with Trinamool when Abhishek Banerjee went on a north Bengal visit on October 15. 

BJP national president J P Nadda tried to make peace with GJM by reiterating the party’s “commitment” towards a permanent political solution of the Hills and also granting of ST status to 11 Gorkha sub-tribes at the Siliguri meeting on October 19, but that was possibly too little, too late. 

BJP after 2019 has emerged as the main challenger to Trinamool and can’t afford to put its prospects in the majority seats in the plains at stake by supporting the Gorkhaland cause. The BJP brass is therefore treading a middle path.