Amid changing Hill politics, qualms, hopes over proposed tripartite talks

MANAS R BANNERJEE, SNS, SILIGURI, 23 AUGUST 21 : As people in the Hills as well as the Plains discussed the new political equation in the Hills thrown up by the  explosive audio clip purportedly sent by Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leader Ajoy Edwards to his party members,  political pundits have come up with several explanations about the development.

The development has become all the more important as it comes at a time when the BJP has said the Centre would be holding tripartite talks to discuss the 'permanent political solution' to the political problem in the Hills, Terai and the Dooars in September.

Having lost faith in GNLF president Mann Ghisingh, the  party's so-called 'think tank,' Mr Edwards, has raised several questions on the "sanctity" of the party in connection with  many issues, including allotment of BJP tickets in the last Assembly elections in the Hills.

Mr Edwards has further divulged many internal information about the GNLF and Mr Ghishing, when on the other hand, another political leader Anit Thapa, the former

chairman of the Board of Administrators (BoA) at the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), has announced his decision to float a new political party in

September. Mr Thapa has taken such a decision after his political partner Binoy Tamang, a senior Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) leader and also the former chairman of the GTA BoA, earlier levelled charges against the founder president of the GJMM, Bimal Gurung, who severed ties with the BJP and returned to his

hometown after remaining in hiding, with the help of chief minister Mamata Banerjee just before the Assembly elections.

Significantly, on the other hand, Miss Banerjee has nominated Rajya Sabha member Shanta Chhetri, a  former GNLF MLA, who had to quit her home, as Bimal Gurung took control over the Hills, as the Trinamul Congress president in the Hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

While a GNLF insider said that political problems begin in the Hills whenever something good is going to happen, former MLA from Kalimpong, Harka Bahadur Chettri, who is the chief of the Jana Andolan Party, said Mr Edwards raised the question of "sanctity" of the GNLF, and that his statement had established that the movement of the GNLF was "fake" and that the party had been misleading the people, "in association with the BJP."

"Anit Thapa has decided to float a new political party to resolve the crisis of his political identity. Mr Thapa and his associates have realised that it would be difficult to continue with their political activities under the banner of GJMM-II after the founder president of the party is present in the  Hills,"  Mr Chettri said from Kalimpong today.

Mr Chettri, who, as the leader of the GJMM, had fought for a separate state of Gorkhaland and attended several tripartite meetings in Delhi during the Left Front regime in West Bengal, added: "It is difficult to say whether the state would take part in the proposed tripartite meeting in September. If the state government does not attend the meeting, it would be an escape route for the BJP, as it will blame the state. BJP will then drag it for the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024."

"The question is, why does the BJP want to involve the state when the Centre can take many decisions without discussing the matter with the state like abrogation of Section 370 in Jammu and Kashmir?" Mr Chettri said, adding, "The BJP will field a new candidate for Darjeeling LS polls in 2024. Raju Bista, who replaced SS Ahluwalia  in 2019, will not contest."

On the other hand, according to an 86-year-old GNLF leader, Pratap Chand Agarwal, Mr Edwards, who wanted to contest the Assembly elections from the Darjeeling Assembly segment, took such decision out of frustration.

Mr Agarwal, who is associated with the GNLF since its inception under the leadership of Subash Ghishing, said: "As Edwards wanted to contest from Darjeeling, it was decided that Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba would be contesting from Kurseong. But Mr Zimba was practically not confident of winning in the Kurseong Assembly segment. Significantly, when the matter was discussed, Amit Shah and Darjeeling MP Raju Bista did not agree to nominate Edwards as the BJP candidate and decided to field Mr Zimba in Darjeeling."

Mr Agarwal, who worked earlier for the Sixth Schedule status for the Hill people, added: "We are hopeful about the tripartite talks yeilding positive results. We don't know whether the GJMM will be invited as a stakeholder, but the GNLF is now the main stakeholder in the Hills, though we want the Centre to involve all and invite all." Mr Agarwal, who was also an Independent elected councillor in Kurseong Municipality between 1960 and chairman of the Municipality and was even associated with the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).

"The West Bengal government cannot ignore the invitation for a tripartite meeting as it had adopted a resolution over the Sixth Schedule for Darjeeling. Now it is difficult to say whether the Mamata Banerjee-led government would take part, but we are ready to meet the Union Home Minister," he said.

"If Union Home Minister Amit Shah asks about our demand, we would say implementation of the BJP's commitment in its election manifesto. If he asks us to opt, we

would demand Gorkhaland. The Centre will have to give us something this time," Mr Agarwal said.

Meanwhile, Darjeeling's BJP MP Raju Bista said that Edwards was a good friend of his, "but I believe, whatever is happening in the GNLF is their internal party matter, and I am hopeful whatever their misunderstandings are will be resolved amicably.”