GNLF complaint against ‘threat’ speech Gurung address under EC scrutiny

CPM supporters walk through Darjeeling on Monday to seek votes for KB Wattar. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, April 11: The GNLF today complained to the Election Commission that Bimal Gurung’s speech at Mirik yesterday was a direct threat to its supporters and demanded action against the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president.

Gurung had told a Morcha rally yesterday that the GNLF president Subash Ghisingh’s “visa to the hills” would expire on April 18 and warned that “if they (GNLF supporters) trample on our heads too much, there is also a tradition of breaking the legs”.

The Morcha chief also said the elections had given them an opportunity to identity those people who merely posed as their supporters but were working against the party.

“After the polls, we have to separate those who are in favour of Gorkhaland and those who are not.”

He was addressing the gathering to solicit votes for the Morcha’s Kurseong candidate Rohit Sharma.

Palden Bhutia, the president of the GNLF’s Kurseong branch committee, said the entire speech was aimed at threatening their supporters.

“What is the administration doing? We are obeying all norms of the model code of conduct and sitting quiet. If we retaliate, will the administration be able to control the situation? We have filed a complaint and the administration must take strong action against Gurung.”

The complaint was filed with the Kurseong subdivisional officer and the Darjeeling district magistrate.

“The administration has taken up the issue suo motu. Police have also started going through the video recordings of the speech,” said Mohan Gandhi, the district magistrate as well as the district election officer of Darjeeling.

According to lawyers, if the police find any violation of election rules by Gurung, he could be booked under various sections of the IPC.

They said the Morcha chief can be charged under Section 171 C of the IPC for voluntarily interfering or attempting to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right. If one is found guilty under this section, he can be jailed for one year and slapped with a fine.

The lawyers said Gurung might also be booked under Section 171 G of the IPC for making “false statement in connection with an election”.

Gurung had claimed yesterday that he was not under the purview of the model code of conduct as he was not a candidate.

But Gandhi said all parties and their frontal organisations and leaders were under the ambit of the poll code.

It is also learnt from sources that the model code of conduct is applicable till the date of counting of votes. This means that Gurung will be violating the model code of conduct if he mobilises his supporters to force Ghisingh out of the hills on April 21 as he had declared yesterday. The counting of votes will be held on May 13.

The Darjeeling district CPM also demanded Gurung’s arrest for “issuing threats” to Subash Ghisingh.

“The EC should take cognisance of this offence which, we feel, is serious. The Morcha, which is backing the Congress-Trinamul Congress alliance, has become desperate to win from all three hill seats and has resorted to terror tactics,” said Jibesh Sarkar, a state committee member of the CPM.