Hill political parties against Trinamool, BGPM form United Gorkha Alliance to contest panchayat polls; with BJP’s blessings

EOI, DARJEELING, JUNE 11, 2023 : Political outfits that are against the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha have decided to come together under the “United Gorkha Alliance” platform and contest the upcoming panchayat polls. 

The alliance was firmed upon Sunday in a meeting held in Darjeeling where leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Hamro Party (HP), Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists, Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Morcha, along with BJP M. P. of Darjeeling Raju Bista, were present.

“We came together in a meeting today and decided that we would fight
the upcoming panchayat elections together under the banner of United Gorkha Alliance. There has been a lot of injustice done by the Trinamool Congress in the hills.

Those who are with them (read Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha) have done rampant corruption. We have come together against corruption and so that the wrong person should not come in power,” said Bista; adding that those who were not with the Trinamool Congress were with them.

The Darjeeling MP specifically mentioned that this alliance was only for the panchayat polls for now. This statement, observers said, should be viewed in the context of the differences between the Hamro Party and the GNLF in recent history. 

It may be recalled that HP president Ajoy Edwards had broken off ties with the GNLF and floated his own political outfit lately. What has come as a real surprise is the GJM agreeing to ally with the BJP. When GJM leaders had returned to the hills, after being on the run for some years, they had done so after severing ties with the BJP.

Bista said in a news conference that the election issue of the newly formed United Gorkha Alliance would be development in the rural areas along with implementation of various schemes without corruption. Maintaining that Gorkhaland and Permanent Political Solution were not issues for the panchayat he said that work for that was going on. 

“With Panchayat election, finally we have a chance to bypass the West Bengal Government and usher in development in our region directly with the help of the Centre. The panchayats are funded by the Centre, Hence through panchayats we can develop our grassroots infrastructure. We can ensure development of our region and eradicate corruption of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and Trinamool Congress completely. 

This is why, all parties that care for Darjeeling, that want to promote unity among the people here, that want to ensure democracy, accountability and transparency in our region have come together. 

We have decided to defeat the politics of 'divide and rule' of the Trinamool Congress and stand united for our people,” said Bista. When asked if seat sharing would be done between the political outfits, Bista said that the political outfits would compromise wherever needed and that they had decided that there would be one symbol, so the people were not confused.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung said:“ The BGPM has played with the future of 40,000 youths, conducting illegal TET examinations and by corrupt practices as seen in road and water projects. 

Gorkhaland is our issue but at present we have come together thinking of the people.

”Echoing his words HP president Ajoy Edwards said that they had decided to come together to increase their strength in the interest of the people. The GNLF party office was also seen to be busy with activities during the day, with Raju Bista meeting GNLF president Mann Ghisingh before the all-party meeting and GTA Sabhasad Binoy Tamang meeting Mann Ghising later in the evening.

Though Tamang, former GTA chairman who is now having an independent political existence, did not want to divulge what took place in the meeting, in a Press release earlier in the day he welcomed the “grand alliance” extending his full support to them; though maintaining it was only for the panchayat polls and it would not be extend to the general elections of 2024 if BJP was there at that time.