BGPM working as agent of Bengal government, says Hill BJP

EOI, DARJEELING, AUGUST 29, 2024 :  The five BJP leaders and activists arrested on Wednesday allegedly for enforcing the 12-hour bandh in Darjeeling were produced before the court and released on bail on Thursday.

The BJP, however, alleged the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, the ruling dispensation in the hills and an ally of the Trinamool Congress, of working as an agent of the West Bengal government. The hills unit of the BJP said those advocating for peace were resorting to threats to coerce people.

"We had only appealed to the people to show solidarity and voice their dissent against the policy of the West Bengal government under the Trinamool. However, they (read the BGPM) used foul language and threatened the people and traders to open their establishments or face dire consequences. Is this the vision and peace they harp about? We feel they are working as an agent to appease their masters in Bengal," spokesperson for the BJP Darjeeling Zilla Committee, Sanjeev Lama, said.

The BJP leader said public outrage over the rape and murder of the doctor at R.G. Kar College and Hospital was not limited to West Bengal but had spread across the country.

"We had no political agenda. The 12-hour bandh on Wednesday was against the atrocities of the police who lathicharged protestors and the indifferent attitude of the West Bengal Government. We are proud that five of our leaders and activists got arrested for speaking for the rights of the people," Lama said.

Lama said under the Trinamool-ruled government, the women and children were not safe. "We have incidents of Matigara and Kalimpong closer to home. Worse is the way the West Bengal government is handling such incidents. How can our mothers and sisters be safe?" the BJP spokesperson asked.

Lama denied allegations of the BJP politicizing the rape and murder issue, saying it was the responsibility of a party to speak on social causes.

"As a responsible political party, it is our duty to raise our voice on social issues, too. We have to feel the sentiments of the people and work for their fundamental and democratic rights," the BJP leader said.

Senior BGPM leaders could not be contacted for their comment on the allegation made by the hills unit of the BJP.