Gurung finds fault with GTA teacher test- He claims TET was conducted in Hills without state government nod

MOHAN PRASAD, SNS, KURSEONG, 15 FEBRUARY 21: Leader of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha Bimal Gurung today threw a salvo at the present dispensation at the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and the BJP', especially over the GTA's move to conduct the Teacher EligibilityTest (TET) for recruitment of teachers.According to him, the test, which was held yesterday, was "inspired" by politics.

Addressing a public meeting at the Montiviot Ground in Kurseong in Darjeeling today, Mr Gurung also alleged that the GTA had not followed the guidelines while conducting the test and that it was done without the consent of the state government's education department.

"The examination was conducted just to play with the future of the hill students and to mislead the youths and people of Darjeeling hills," he said, adding the candidates appearing in the TET should now ask the GTA about their appointment and recruitment for the posts."

Mr Gurung further said that a team of his party today met state education minister Partha Chatterjee in Kolkata and inquired about the examination.

"As per Mr Partha Chatterjee, he has no knowledge of the said examination being conducted and the test was held without their knowledge," he claimed, demanding that the GTA make public the facts and details of the test.

On allegations in the hills that nepotism and favouritism are rife when it comes to recruitment of teachers, Mr Gurung challenged all to prove that he appointed his near and dear ones in teachers' posts. "I will quit politics if anyone can prove that I acted in that fashion," he said.

Continuing with his tirade against the saffron brigade, Mr Gurung iterated that the BJP, the party that he supported earlier did nothing for the Gorkhas in the past 15 years, despite the fact that the Hills gave the party three Members of Parliament.

According to him, while BJP national president JP Nadda announced on 10 February tribal status for two communities of Assam 'Kochey' and 'Meyche,' the Centre had done nothing about the demand for tribal status for 11 Gorkha communities, despite promises to that effect made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

"The BJP is a photo-session party and hill political parties will realise this soon," he said.

He also did not leave the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) an ally of the BJP and said that the Hill party was not serious about the Gorkhaland issue. "They (GNLF) have instead been trying to bring in the Sixth Schedule status of the Indian Constitution to Darjeeling Hills.They should understand that the Hill people have already rejected such status," Mr Gurung said.

Other leaders who addressed today's public meeting claimed that the Gurung camp of the Morca has never betrayed the hill people and the Gorkha community.

They claimed that they went for an electoral alliance with the Trinamul congress to secure the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland as well as for the interest of the entire hill people."

(Courtesy & source- https://epaper.thestatesman.com/c/58464966)