PM’s visit to Siliguri raises expectations in the hills, yet again

The scene is somewhat similar to what it was five years ago, when the campaign before the Lok Sabha election was going on.

EOI, DARJEELING, MARCH 7, 2024 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed visit to Siliguri on March 9 has raised expectations in the hills of a major pro-Gorkha announcement. 

The scene is somewhat similar to what it was five years ago, when the campaign before the Lok Sabha election was going on.

Before the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Prime Minister in his election campaign for Raju Bista, the sitting Darjeeling MP, had raised expectations when he publicly announced that the "dreams of the Gorkhas were his" and the BJP included in its election manifesto the promise to find a permanent political solution for the hills and grant tribal status to the 11 left-out Gorkha communities. 

The Prime Minister will address a public meeting at the Kawakhali Maiden in Siliguri where he is expected to draw large crowds from both the plains and hills of north Bengal. 

‘Mato Ko Awaaz’ (Voice of the Soil), a civil society organization, has, however, cautioned people not to get swayed by election promises. 

MKA which is projecting former Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University Mahendra P Lama as the Lok Sabha candidate from the Darjeeling constituency has listed out a 11-point charter of demands for the Prime Minister and the BJP to deliver ahead of the polls. 

"Five kilograms of ration and words like dreams of the Gorkhas is mine will not suffice this time to only garner votes. The PM and the BJP will have to deliver," said Bhawani Pradhan, senior functionary of the organization. 

"We want the PM to announce the formation of Gorkhaland. For 15 years people have put their faith and voted for the BJP. Now time has come to deliver on the promises," said Pradhan.

"We have prioritized five demands that the Prime Minister must announce from Siliguri,” said the MKA leader. 

"First and foremost, Gorkhaland must be announced. Second, till Gorkhaland is formed a National Level Commission for the Gorkhas should be formed. Third, tribal status should be granted ton 11Gorkha communities. Fourth, the Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Terai and Dooars areas must be included in the North East Council and fifth a financial package for the tea gardens and cinchona plantation should be announced. Besides, educational, social and health facilities should beset up in the hills."

Recalling how article 370 was abrogated in Jammu and Kashmir and the former state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized, Pradhan said the BJP with overwhelming majority had fulfilled demands otherwise thought impossible. 

He urged the saffron to do the same for the hill people by creating a separate Gorkhaland state. 

Incidentally, Mahendra P. Lama was founding vice chancellor of Sikkim University, member of the National Security Advisory Board and former pro vice chancellor of the Indira Gandhi National Open University. 

He unsuccessfully contested the 2014 election in the Darjeeling constituency, losing to BJP candidate Surendra Singh Ahluwalia.