Anit Thapa feels the need to safeguard regional politics and hill parties

BGPM claimed it had won uncontested in 50 gram panchayat  and 1 panchayat samity seats in Darjeeling and Kalimpong

EOI, DARJEELING, 22 JUNE 2023 : Highlighting the need to safeguard regional politics and hill parties, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) president Anit Thapa on Thursday appealed to other local political parties to shun the BJP. 

Thapa made the appeal on the sidelines of a programme to felicitate 60 candidates of his party who had won uncontested in the two tier panchayat election to beheld on July 8. 

"We should all gettogether and save our place and not let outside force take over. We have to save our regional parties for which I call upon Ajoy Edwards and Bimal Gurung," said Thapa.

For the the gram panchayat and panchayat samiti elections, the BJP is leading an alliance comprising the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the Hamro Party, Gorkha National Liberation Front and the Gorkha Rashtriya Nirman Manch. 

However, surprisingly the BJP has fielded the bulk of the candidates on behalf of the United Gorkha Alliance despite the party having very little presence in the hill region; unlike its alliance partners. 

The BJP has nominated 327 candidates for the gram panchayat election and 89 for the panchayat samiti in the districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong. In comparison, the partners of the BJP have half the number of candidates put together." 

The security of the Gorkhas is in question and we request our regional parties to secure it. We should forget whatever happened in the past and save the existence of the Gorkhas," said Thapa.

Thapa argued that the BJP had done nothing in the past 15 years and they were the ones to create a faction in the GJM, causing the BGPM to be formed. 

 "The BJP showed us the dream of a Gorkhaland state. But now they are promising PPS. I will withdraw all my party candidates if the BJP in its election manifesto promises to grant Gorkhaland if they win the panchayat election," said Thapa. 

The BGPM president heaped praises on the Trinamool Congress for respecting regional politics and parties. 

"We are in an alliance with the Trinamool, but they never attacked regionalism. In the MLA election they left the seats for regional parties and in the panchayat election they never requested our help. They do this as they respect our regionalism," said Thapa. 

He also supported the statement of GJM leader Bimal Gurung that the BJP was trying to devour the local parties.

"I would like to tell Edwards and Gurung that we have our fight and everyone can do politics. But it is a danger signal if regional parties do not field candidates in many places and pose a threat for the regional parties. We have to save the hills," Thapa asserted.

The BGPM claimed it had won uncontested in 50 gram panchayat  and 1 panchayat samity seats in Darjeeling and Kalimpong.