Darjeeling, May 22 : In what could give a new twist to the political situation in the Darjeeling hills, the Trinamool Congress has claimed that it is set to entrench base in the region, now under sway of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, with more than 1,000 activists of different political forces ready to join West Bengal's ruling party.
According to party sources, May 24 has been set as the day for inducting new workers into the party fold and it will substantially strengthen the presence of the Trinamool Congress in the region, thereby running the prospect of it having a greater say in future political activities.
The announcement of expansion of the party base will be made at a meeting at Panighatta under Mirik Tehsil in Darjeeling District. The meeting will be attended by top TMC leaders, including North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb and recently-elected TMC president Subrata Bakshi, the sources said.
The high point of the development is that former Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leader Rajen Mukhia is said to be one of the prominent faces waiting to join the Trinamool Congress.
Mukhia reportedly said it would be a step towards strengthening the hands of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was able to broker the GTA deal for Darjeeling unlike the previous Left Front Government.
A former Subash Ghisingh confidant, Mukhia wields considerable influence in the area with a good mass following.
Bishal Chettri, who claims to be still a GJM functionary, is also reportedly expected to join the TMC, the sources calimed.
It was also learnt that Santosh Subba, son of Chhatre Subba, who served a ten-year jail term for his involvement in the attempted murder of GNLF leader Subash Ghisingh, is also willing for a TMC membership.
It is believed that former GNLF leaders and workers, who have been at the receiving end in local politics for years because of the might of the Bimal Gurung-led GJM, are trying to find a credible platform to bounce back in the reckoning.
On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress, which so far had no presence in the hills, will have an opportunity to set foot in the region by dint of being in power.
However, the development, if it takes place according to what the sources claim, might have an adverse impact on the present equation between the GJM and the Trinamool Congress-led state Government, shattering the bonhomie that stymied violence in the hills and led to the GTA agreement, political observers feel.
Having had several rounds of 'cordial and positive' talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the GJM leadership which had been on a violent path demanding separate statehood for Darjeeling, softened their stand and agreed to settle for a greater autonomy in the form of the GTA.
Though disputes still persist over the question of inclusion of areas under the GTA jurisdiction and clashes between Nepalese speaking people and local tribals took place in the foothills over the issue, Ms.Banerjee has gained considerable popularity among the hills people for the way they believe she has been dealaing with their problem.
It remains to be seen how the GJM, so far enjoying almost a monopoly in terms of political power in the hills, reacts to the development, the observers say.
The sources said the Panighatta meeting would be preceded by a closed door one on May 22, where all the prominent political leaders set to join the TMC would be present.
They claimed that though the number of would-be members had been initially pegged at 1,000, it could ultimately swell up to much more than that. (UNI)
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