New political equation likely in Hills as GJMM, Hamro Party inch closer

IANS, KOLKATA, 11 DECEMBER 2022 : A new political equation scents to be emerging in the Hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in North Bengal, with the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) and the Ajoy Edwards-led Hamro Party coming closer, most likely to counter the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM)-Trinamool Congress alliance.

Speculations of a possible GJMM-Hamro Party alliance have started rolling after the Morcha leadership invited Ajoy Edwards to attend a two-day seminar on the future prospects of a separate Gorkhaland state in New Delhi, which was organised mainly by the GJMM and which ended today. 

The development assumes significance because of the recent development in Hill politics where the BGPM - Trinamool Congress alliance managed to take control of the hill politics by roping in six Hamro Party councillors of Darjeeling Municipality elected earlier to their camp.

In February this year, Hamro Party took control of the Darjeeling. Municipality by bagging 18 of the 32 wards. The BGPM-Trinamool alliance bagged a total of 10 seats, with the BGPM at eight and the Trinamool at two. The GJMM, which was once the final word in the Hills, won just four seats. However, the scene changed within nine months in November this year with six turncoat councillors from Hamro Party joining the BGPM, a party led by Anit Thapa, who is presently the Chief Executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

In fact, the leadership of both the GJMM and Hamro Party has not ruled out a possibility of a future understanding between the two political forces in the hills.

According to Mr Edwards, the sentiment of the people of Darjeeling is associated with the issue of Gorkhaland. "We had been voicing for it always. There are possibilities of discussions with Bimal Gurung on the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state. At the same time, the manner in which the BGPM Trinamool Congress alliance is trying to poach our elected councillors is unethical. This can disturb the prevailing peace in the hills," he said.

According to GJMM general secretary Roshan Giri, since a permanent political solution in the hills are his party's prime aim, they have invited similar-thinking forces from the hills like the Hamro Party at the seminar.

Veteran political analyst and an expert in the Hill politics, Nirmalya Banerjee, said that a future GJM -Hamro Party understanding is quite possible since both these forces have now been pushed to a critical phase by the BGPM-Trinamool Congress alliance. "Now, how far the GJM- Hamro Party pact will workout will depend on how each of these two forces defines the concept of permanent political solution," he said.