GJM news | Hint of Morcha-Barla tie-up for rural polls

Darjeeling, Nov. 4.TT: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today discussed with its leaders from the Terai and Dooars the possibility of an alliance with the John Barla-led unit of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha for the panchayat elections.

Although Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri refused to divulge details of the closed-door meeting here, sources said the leadership extensively discussed the upcoming panchayat elections.

It is not clear yet whether the Morcha would put up candidates of its own in the Dooars and Terai in the rural polls. It is likely to form an alliance with the JMM.

“The panchayat elections were extensively discussed and it was felt that the organisational base in the plains has to be strengthened,” the source said.

The Morcha leadership, especially in the Dooars, is in disarray after the president of the Morcha’s Dooars committee, Padam Lama, along with other office-bearers resigned from the party a few months ago.

“It has been decided that instead of one committee for the Dooars, the party will form three committees, one for eastern, the others for middle and western Dooars. It was felt that since Dooars stretches for more than 100km, a single committee was finding it hard to function properly,” the source said.

The Morcha has also decided to start making submissions soon after Diwali before a fact-verification committee, formed to look into grievances against the Justice Sen committee’s recommendations.

The Sen Committee had recommended the inclusion of only five of the 397 mouzas demanded by the Morcha for inclusion in the GTA.

Following protests by the Morcha, the state government formed the three-member committee in June this year.

The decision to renew its demand for inclusion of the plains areas was taken during the closed-door meeting held between Morcha leaders and their counterparts from the plains at Patlabas in Darjeeling today.

Giri, refusing to disclose the details of the huddle, said: “There is nothing to tell the press as it was an organisational meeting.”

Sources present in the meeting told The Telegraph that Morcha president Bimal Gurung had directed the leaders from the plains to start making submission after the Diwali. “As per the party president’s directive, the plains leaders will start making submissions. The party is still hopeful that more than five mouzas from the plains will be included in the GTA,” the source said.

The decision to make submission before the fact verification committee is been seen by observers as an attempt to boost the morale of supporters in the plains before the panchayat elections. “The Morcha is raking up the territory issue just when the panchayat elections are round the corner,” said an observer.

Gurung has also decided to visit the Dooars and Terai for three days in December.