Hills, plains talk Gurung future, court cases

A section of Mr Gurung's followers are expecting hint to arrive in the Hills in the first week of November, another section has said there is no such chance if he wants to return after settling some legal matters because the Calcutta High Court will resume work only on 17 November

MANAS R BANNERJEE, SNS, SILIGURI, 27 OCTOBER 2020 : Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had in Kurscong last year taken the name of fugitive Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung mistakenly as she spoke during a government programme. Political leaders and observers had discussed the matter in connection with the relationship between Miss Bauerjee and Mr Gurung ever since she came to power in Bengal. However, as the state government has now allowed Mr Gurung and his associates to address the Press in Kolkata, political leaders and observers have started discussing the fate of Darjeeling Hills and the future of Mr Gurung, especially as a section of the Hill people under Binoy Tamang, the leader of another faction of the Morcha, has come close to Miss Banerjee.

Significantly while a section of the people has been making plans to welcome Mr Gurung to the Hills, none of them know the date and time of his return. While a section of Mr Gurung's followers are expecting hint to arrive in the Hills in the first week of November, another section has said there is no such chance if he wants to return after settling some legal matters because the Calcutta High Court will resume work only on 17 November.

On the other hand, nobody also knows how the state would act in favour of Mr Gurung and how the Division Bench of the High Court would react.! However, sources have said that representatives of Mr Gurung would discuss the matter with state government officials very soon.

Notably, people belonging to different walks of life have criticised the state government as the police failed to arrest Mr Gurung. "The Bimal camp is still unhappy with the state because the Trinamul Congress has issued a press statement, welcoming the development, but neither the CM nor her government has issued any official statement on the matter," sources on the other hand said.

"Against the backdrop of Covid- 19 and the immersion of Goddess Durga, police are busy across the state, but the stigma attached to them as being stooges of the ruling party, cannot be erased until or unless the fugitive Gorkha leader is taken into custody before the state government declares him immune from all charges by going through all legal formalities," said former Inspector General of Police Pankaj Kumar Datta.

According to veteran CPIM leader and Siliguri MLA Asok Bhattacharya, if Miss Banerjee thinks her political objective will be fulfilled with association with Mr Gurung, then "I can say she lives in paradise for fools." "On the other hand, if the BJP thinks it is high time to wash their hands off Gurung to avoid the Gorkhaland issue, this would be comitting another mistake. They cannot wash their hands off him because the BJP has sought support from him by stating that the party believes in small states. The late Jaswant Singh himself, during campaigning, had said 'Gorkhaland chahinchha (Gorkhaland is needed).' Later, SS Ahluwalia begged for votes by showcasing Gorkhaland, and recently Raju Bista took up the demand for Gorkhaland in Parliament. But at present, Mamata Banerjee has lost her face by extending her support to Gurung," he said.

According to him, Darjeeling may not erupt again if Mr Gurung returns with the support of the state government, and if there is no fresh movement for a separate state.

According to Jan Andolan Party leaderAmar Lama, if the state withdraws cases against Mr Gurung, it is a mockery of law. "A man who is most wanted in police records, gets state ssupport. How can a government do that? Nobody is above the law. I don't know the fate of Gurung because he doesn't have political vision besides indulging in mob violence. Very significant and bad thing is that the state wants to retain power at the cost of peace. Violence will start in the Hills as Gurung's people threaten others if Bimal is prevented from entering the Hills," Mr Lama said.

All-India Gorkha League leader Pratap Khati said the state cannot withdraw cases against Mr Gurung as he is accused of murder and has been booked even on charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). "A total of 167 cases are pending against him. He would have to go to court and face legal procedures. Common sensible people, intellectuals, and people associatcd with the judiciary are not happy with the role of the state government and it is not good and healthy for democracy and rule of law " said Mr Khati, also a legal expert in the Hills.

Asked to comment, Darjeelng' s BJP MP Raju Bista said: "BJP is a people-centric party and we have till date fulfilled all the commitments made to the people of India—abrogation of Article 370, resolution of Bodoland issue and other such contentious issues, that had remained unaddressed for decades. Our commitments are reflected in our party's Sankalp Patra. BJP is committed to finding a Permanent Political Solution to the long-pending demands of the people from Darjeling hills,Terai and Dooars, and for the inclusion of  11 left-out Gorkha sub-tribes as ST. Our party stands by our commitment and we will fulfill them, irrespective of the changing political equations or scenarios."

A leader of the Gorkha National Liberation Front, Mahendra Chhetri, said Mr Gurung has finally "broken the unity" of the Gorkhas, as they had joined hands with Mr Gurung on issue of PPS. "We are still with the BJP. But the BJP should make its stand clear before the Assembly elections," he said.