Adding a new chapter to the pro-Gorkhaland movement, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha activists on Sunday resorted to doing politics by taking out a huge rally with the corpse of Mangal Singh Rajput, a party youth wing member, who immolated himself a few days ago in support of a separate State and died late on Saturday evening.
Emotions ran high soon after Rajput’s body was brought to Kalimpong from Siliguri even as alleged GJM activists set passenger vehicles afire at Kalijhora. Some Government offices were stoned and officials threatened against going to their offices on Monday. Agitators gheraoed Darjeeling Sadar police station demanding release of their six of supporters, who were earlier picked up in connection with past cases.
“There is tremendous tension in the hills much like it was during the mid-80s and in some smaller towns GJM supporters were moving in groups with khukris (daggers) to ensure bandh,” a senior official working at the District Collector’s office said wondering whether the Government officials
would be able to join work on Monday. “We fear things could go out of control like it happened in 80s,” he maintained.
This even as GJM president Bimal Gurung reacted sharply to “State Government’s move to suppress a popular feeling with brute force.” He said, “The Gorkhas are prepared to face bullets. Our people have done this at the borders for centuries. We are not afraid of Central forces or any kind of oppressive measure by Mamata Banerjee. We will continue the bandh.” Already five companies of CRPF and another riot police were patrolling the hill highways.
He wondered as to why the Chief Minister was “behaving so unfriendly though we had supported her cause during the elections. We have already told that we have no issue with the State Government. We have to sort things out with the Centre.”
On why his party was jettisoning the GTA to which it was one of the signatories within two years of it formation he said, “The State Government does not want us to work. There is continuous intervention. Even in case of distributing pattas, the Chief Ministers does it without informing us. We cannot even get a principal secretary despite repeated representations to the Writers’ Buildings. And finally we have to go to the court to get our demand fulfilled. So the GTA has lost its relevance.
Now we want nothing less than a separate State.”
His angry remarks came amid reports that the State Government had asked the GJM to elect a new chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration by August 29 failing which the Government would appoint its own nominee for the job. Gurung had earlier resigned as the chairman of the GTA formed in 2011.
In the subsequent elections GJM won the GTA polls and Gurung became its chairman. He resigned the post demanding a separate Gorkhaland State after the Centre’s Telangana move. However, remaining members of the GTA continue to hold office.
According to GJM sources, they would never accept a Government nominee as the chairman and hence could resign en masse following which the Government will have to conduct fresh elections. A senior GJM leader says “in that case if the GJM wins the polls then naturally it would amount to a referendum in favour our demand for a separate State.”
Meanwhile, senior Trinamool Congress leader and MP Sudip Bandopadhyay on Sunday warned the Central Government against fishing in troubled waters in Darjeeling. “We warn the Centre against inciting trouble in Darjeeling or else we will stall Parliament here in Delhi,” he said.