Bimal Gurung hit out GJM leaders from Mirik for the presence of rebels in the civic polls

Darjeeling, Nov. 20/TT: Bimal Gurung today publicly hit out at the central committee members of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha from Mirik for the presence of rebels in the civic polls and told the leaders that they should be “ashamed of themselves”.

The Morcha has won all wards in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong municipalities uncontested, but five of the nine seats in Mirik will go to polls as Independents have filed nominations against party candidates. Three of the Independents belonged to the Morcha and were expelled from the party.

“The central committee members from Mirik are to blame for the fiasco. They were the ones who said that they would handle everything themselves. They should be ashamed of themselves. I am happy with the way things went about in other places, especially in Kurseong,” said Gurung.

The Morcha president was addressing a meeting organised by the party to felicitate all candidates who had emerged winners in the four municipalities uncontested.

“I had earlier told the central committee members that they should not contest the elections and give an opportunity to committed party workers. So, the leaders pushed their own candidates and at the end, they could not be forced to withdraw from the fray,” said Gurung.

L.B. Rai, a central committee member and a former chairperson of Mirik municipality, and Arun Ghisingh, the vice-president of the Mirik Mahakuma Samiti, are two prominent leaders who are in the fray.

Gurung said even if the Morcha candidates won the polls, he would be very careful while allocating posts in the civic board.

“It is the party leaders, and not the public, who should be blamed in Mirik. All must consider themselves to be Gorkhas but in Mirik, leaders of the two communities, Tamang and Rai, are fighting. In this fight, Mirik has lost out in development works in the past too,” said Gurung.

He also announced the names of the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons for Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong. The Morcha’s chairman candidate for Darjeeling is Amar Singh Rai and the vice-chairman nominee is Sukh Bahadur Biswakarma.

The Kurseong municipality will be headed by Sameerdeep Blone, while Kalpana Pradhan has been nominated for the post of the vice-chairperson. L.B. Pariyar and Ganga Maya Gurung have been named to hold the offices of the chairperson and the vice-chairperson in Kalimpong.

Gurung told the future councillors that committees would be formed in each ward to keep a check on corruption in the civic administration.

“People say Morcha leaders indulged in corrupt practices during the rehabilitation of Cyclone Aila victims. These things have to stop. The commissioners will not be given a free hand and to check corruption, committees must be formed in all wards.”

The Morcha president said those who had wanted to contest elections but were denied official party tickets should be made members of the ward committee, along with representatives of culture clan and social workers.

“The councillors will not be allowed to function independently and everything has to be endorsed by the respective ward committees,” said Gurung.