Peace in Darjeeling may be short-lived

DARJEELING: The Queen of Hills might have restored a state of normalcy with tourists flocking back, business picking up and agitations taking a backseat. However, it's too early to conclude that Darjeeling has truly reinstated a peaceful and democratic atmosphere, feel 'opposition' party supporters in the hills.

Leaders and workers of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) and CPRM believe that Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has suppressed voices of the Opposition by all means and still Darjeeling is not safe for political activities of the opposition parties. The murder of ABGL leader Madan Tamang (GJM allegedly played an active role behind his murder) and the way GNLF chief Subhash Ghising was ousted soon after the elections have strengthened the feeling.

Branding chief minister Mamata Banerjee's steps to set up a new council for the hills to solve Darjeeling trouble as an 'eyewash', ABGL leaders alleged the new government is also indulging in single-party anarchy like the previous government. "It is true that we are minority as an Opposition, but the result of the recent assembly polls proves that a few lakh people are against the GJM. But the chief minister and her government made an agreement only with the GJM, ignoring all other quarters. It can not be conducive for a democratic set up," said Bharati Tamang, widow of Madan Tamang and president of ABGL, one of the oldest party in the hills. "We have sent three letters to Mamata Banerjee seeking time, but she did not respond," she said.

When it is tough to continue our political activities against the GJM in the urban areas due to the strong-arm tactics of GJM workers, then it would be quite impossible in the rural areas. Unfortunately, the new government has a passive support to the act as Mamata Banerjee has only recognized the GJM, said SB Zimba, a former bureaucrat and a senior advisor to ABGL.

However, GJM leader and Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri rejected all such allegations. "People have rejected the opposition parties. They do not take part in their political programmes. They are making allegations out of frustration. They are complaining about muscle-flexing. Let them come out with details of such incidents, if there are any," he said.

Like Tamang, Zimba also feels that Mamata's agreement to set up a new council could be a temporary solution and not a permanent one. Trinamool leader Gautam Deb, who is also the minister-in-charge of North Bengal affairs, however, rubbished the allegation. "The chief minister has spoken to the people who are representing the hill people. As GJM has ensured all three assembly seats in Darjeeling, so GJM leaders were called on," said Deb.

Zimba did not agree with Deb. "It needs an all-party consensus. For Telengana, union government had called an all-party meeting not only the majority," argued Zimba.

"It is nothing but a remodeling of erstwhile Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, which was earlier formed to tame Ghising. And now it is Gurung's turn," said Zimba. He alleged that neither the Union government nor its state counterpart is seeing the hill trouble with the eyes of the hill people. Like Zimba, CPRM leader Gobinda Chhetri also gave importance on revival of normal political activities in the hills to ensure democracy. For long, Panchayats and municipalities have remained defunct. The new government has not taken initiative to normalize the entire administrative system, it rather focused on setting up an administrative board.

The government still does not have any concrete idea for the common people. "We heard that Mamata Banerjee has accepted demands of GJM to solve the trouble. But we have no idea how the new set up will be or how it will function," said Ramesh Pradhan, a shop-owner at Lebong. Like Pradhan, Preama Thapa, a villager near Ghum, however, knows that raising voice against the rulers just only brings troubles like before when GNLF was in power.
TOI