Hills wary of Bista's PPS demand in Parliament: Bista could do well to speak on the matter during Question Hour rather than Zero Hour

MANAS R BANNERJEE, SNS, SILIGURI, 28JULY 21 : As pressure mounted on him from several quarters, Darjeeling's MP Raju Bista took up the issue of the promised 'Permanent Political Solution (PPS) for Hill political problems during Zero Hour in Parliament today.

However, observers in the Hills said that Mr Bista could do well to speak on the matter during Question Hour in Parliament rather than Zero Hour.  According to one observer, Mr Bista has not once spoken of the issue in the past during question Hour, "which is the most important time for MPs to speak, actually."

"Till date, Raju Bista has asked more than 100 questions during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, but none of them were related to the Gorkhaland demand or the PPS. He has raised the issue at least five times, including today, only during Zero Hour or under Rule :377, but there has been no answer from the government on this issue till date," the observer said.

"Raju Bista has asked 102 questions in the Question Hour, including questions on ST status for Gorkhas. He has received official replies from the concerned ministries for all 102 questions. However, why can't he ask the question on Gorkhaland and PPS during Question Hour? That looks like the only way to make the government respond to the demand for statehood," the observer added.

According to another observer, Mr Bista took up the matter in Parliament today, "only to manage the present situation in this region, comprising the Hills, the Terai and the Dooars," where there have been calls for the MP to speak about the issue in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the House.

Not only political leaders in the Hills, but other Hill people, who have been supporting the BJP since the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, are expecting that the saffron party will resolve the identity crisis that they have been facing, but they have gradually started losing patience and faith in the MP, following the delay in resolving the Hill issue.

As Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) leader Bimal Gurung, who now supports Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, recently raised the issue in the Hills by putting up posters and asking Mr Bista to do something about the PPS or step down, the MP today said: "Our party has committed to finding a Permanent Political Solution to the long-pending demands of the people from Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars region. I have therefore requested the Central Government to expedite (the process of granting) the Permanent Political Solution."

Notably, All India Gorkha League leaders, including Bharati Tamang, the widow of slain party leader Madan Tamang, have also recently questioned the role of the Darjeeling MP when it came to the Gorkhaland demand and the PPS, something which the BJP has promised.

BIP's ally, Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), even plans to meet the BJP leadership in Delhi on the issue, while its leader Ajoy Edwards has said that the saffron party should "forget the Hills" if it did not grant the PPS during the tenure of Mr Bista, who was elected the MP in 2019. On the same issue, Mr Bista's predecessors, Jaswant Singh and SS Ahluwalia, were also under pressure from GJMM leader Bimal Gurung. Mr Bista was under pressure ahead of the Assembly elections in West Bengal too, on the issue of PPS and granting of tribal status to 11 Gorkha communities. As the BJP failed to work on the two issues, the then fugitive leader, Mr Gurung, left the BJP's camp and returned to the Hills by joining hands with Mamata Banerjee.

It may be recalled here that Mr Gurung, as he returned to the Hills, had said: "Mamata Banerjee keeps her word and does what she promises."

Significantly, Mr Gurung, though he does not have absolute support base in the Hills at present, raised his voice against Mr Bista as Miss Banerjee prepared to visit Delhi, keeping an eye on the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, to meet anti-BJP political parties, including the Congress and its leader Sonia Gandhi.

It may be recalled here that Mr Gurung has also pointed out that he would think about his political stand for the 2004 Lok Sabha polls in the interest of the Hills.

On the other hand, 34year-old Mr Bista, who is also the general secretary of the MP's youth wing and the party's spokesperson, sounded confident about bringing the situation under control.

"The contribution of the people from Darjeeling Hills, the Tarai and the Dooars and the Gorkha community towards our nation-building has been immense. People from our region have been at the forefront of all our nation's struggles, yet there has been little acknowledgment about their contributions. Despite their remarkable sacrifices for our nation, be it in the freedom struggle or protecting our nation from inimical forces, our region and people have remained marginalised and discriminated against," Mr Bista said today, adding, "I informed the Parliament that it is because of these reasons, the demand for Gorkhaland state keeps on cropping up time and again. I emphasised that the demand for Gorkhaland state is not just a demand for development, but it is also related with the Identity Crisis facing the 1.5 crore Gorkhas across India."

"Highlighting this fact, today I have demanded expediting Permanent Political solution for Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars region in the Parliament. Even raising the issue under Rule 377 of the Parliament, I highlighted how there is no democracy in Darjeeling region under Trinamul Congress government in West Bengal, and how today all the elected offices are either being run by bureaucrats or by TMC Party cadres," Mr Bista added.