The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has started
making preparations for the panchayat election even as it has begun
predicting a victory for its ally - the BJP in the Lok Sabha election.
GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang today hinted the party is making full preparations for the panchayat election.
"We are reorganising our party structure
and have also started interacting with people in rural areas following
the Lok Sabha voting exercise here. We need to be proactive and gear
ourselves for all future courses of action," he said.
It must be noted here that the GJM has
demanded a three-tier panchayat election for the hills. It has also
warned of knocking on court doors if the state government fails to do
so.
"Our demand is for a three-tier
panchayat election in the hills. We believe the state government will
approve and announce this as soon as the counting for the general
election gets over on May 16. Our party president has already made it
clear that only a three-tier panchayat election should be held in the
hills failing which we will be compelled to move court," said the GJM
assistant secretary.
Sources within the party pointed out
that the party leadership is in the process of evaluating the pros and
cons of the just-concluded LS polls. "We don’t want to repeat past
mistakes and intend to make amends in the panchayat election process if
it is held anytime soon. It is a continuous process and we want to
ensure everything is done in the right way," one source said.
Presently, there is provision for only a
two-tier panchayat system in the hills. But the GJM’s demand for a
three-tier system has also been incorporated in the Gorkhaland
Territorial Administration agreement signed in July 2011 between the
state and central governments and the GJM.
"BJP candidate SS Ahluwalia, who we have
supported in the LS election, has also demanded a three-tier panchayat
system for the hills. We are demanding only that part of the agreement
reached with the state and central governments," asserted Tamang.(EOIC)