Bimal Gurung tit-for-tat denies Trinamul votes

Mungpoo, March 18.TT: Bimal Gurung today directed his four party MLAs to abstain from the Rajya Sabha polls and boycott the Assembly until Gorkha-dominated mouzas in the plains were included in the new hill set-up, casting a cloud on the election prospects of the Trinamul’s fourth candidate for the Upper House.

But Trinamul is hoping that not all four Morcha MLAs will skip the polls and, since 10 more days are left for the Upper House elections, the party is banking on a mind change.

The Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has three MLAs from the hills while the fourth is a party-backed Independent from the Dooars.

Gurung told party supporters and representatives from the Dooars and Terai that elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration would not be accepted unless its territorial jurisdiction was settled.

The Morcha wants 398 mouzas from the plains as added territory of the GTA and a government-appointed committee is looking into the demand.

“What is the hurry to hold elections? The new government is betraying us and acting like the Left Front government. From 1952, nine hill MPs have been sent to the Rajya Sabha. But this time, the new government tried to play with our identity by not sending anyone from the hills. So, our four MLAs will abstain from voting in the Rajya Sabha,” said Gurung.

A Trinamul MLA from South 24 Parganas told The Telegraph tonight that the party does not believe that all four Morcha MLAs would refrain from voting. “We do hope that good sense would prevail on them. Besides, more than 10 days are left,” he said.

Asked if Mamata on her return to Calcutta from Delhi would appeal to the Morcha to participate in the polls, he averted the question but said: “We shall discuss the matter after she returns here.”

Today’s Morcha meeting was held in Mungpoo, 38km downhill from Darjeeling.

The election to the Rajya Sabha is scheduled for March 30 and the Morcha had asked Mamata Banerjee last week to nominate one of its candidates to the Upper House, a request that she rejected.

Gurung said the party would launch a major agitation in the plains on territory.

“We cannot forget the sacrifices made by our supporters from the plains,” said Gurung before announcing a public meeting at Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district on April 18.

“On April 7, the MLAs along with party vice-president will start a padayatra from the hills to the Terai. During the April 18 meeting, we will announce more agitation programmes. On April 22, party leaders from the Dooars and Terai will start a padayatra to Calcutta,” he said.

Ousted Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad leader John Barla was present at the meeting with his supporters.