Many Hill parties oppose GTA polls

REZA PRADHAN, SNS, DARJEELING, 17 MAY 2022 : Different political parties in the Hills today spoke against the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and the state government's plans to hold elections to the semiautonomous body, and demanded that it be dissolved altogether.

While the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM) said they opposed the GTA elections and demanded dissolution of the body, they have sent a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar through the district magistrate, the same was done by the BJP Hill unit, which sent a letter to the Bengal CM through the DMs of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

"We have come forward to press a memorandum of objection regarding the ensuing GTA election. It has come to our notice that the state government is about to hold the GTA elections in the forthcoming month of June. Also, the State Government has announced the appointment of the District Magistrate of Darjeeling as the Election Officer," said M G Subba, the President of the GNLF Darjeeling Branch, in their letter to the CM.

"The GTA, during the reign of Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha from the year 2012 to 2017, had become a total failure and the body itself has killed the aspirations of our people. The agitation that took place in the year 2017 shows the annoyance of the people against the body. It is not only us who have objections to its election, but similar protests are being held by different social organisations," said Mr Subba in the letter, while also asking the state government to participate and take active part in talks called by the Centre for a Permanent Political Solution (PPS).

On the other hand, in the letter sent by the BJP to the Bengal CM, the party has opposed the decision to hold the GTA elections.

"We are against holding of the GTA elections on the grounds that all the elected representatives to the GTA Sabha had tendered their resignation in support of the demand for a separate state before the Governor of West Bengal in 2017, realizing that the GTA could not protect and promote the human rights of linguistic minorities in the hills. Barring a few political parties, many organizations and the general public have refused to accept the GTA," said Sujendra Rai, General Secretary, Darjeeling District Committee BJP, in the letter to the CM.

He also cited reasons like the GTA having reached a stalemate since 2017 and the central government having convened tripartite meetings for PPS on the request of various political parties and NGOs.

"Under these circumstances, the initiative to hold the election to the GTA before reaching an amicable settlement and understanding among the stakeholders in the tripartite meeting may amount to undermining the sanctity of the tripartite talks called by the Centre," said Mr Rai, who also requested the Bengal CM to keep GTA elections on hold till the tripartite talks reached a logical and mutually acceptable solution.