Giving a surprise twist to the poll
scenario, the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist today announced
its decision to support academician Mahendra P Lama, the independent
candidate from Darjeeling constituency.
The move has effectively snubbed the
GJM-BJP alliance within 24 hours of SS Ahluwalia meeting with CPRM
leaders including party chief RB Rai, his old Rajya Sabha colleague. The
CPRM had placed conditions for supporting Ahluwalia and also said it
would announce its final decision only on March 23 after a meeting of
its central election committee.
"We had kept three options. One was to
field our own candidate, the second was to support a national-level
party that would include the statehood demand in its election manifesto,
and finally to support a local candidate who would take up the
statehood issue," explained CPRM general secretary Tara Mani Rai.
He further said, "Sadly, the BJP leader
made it clear in yesterday's meeting the Gorkhaland demand would not
feature in the party's election manifesto. We did not support the TMC
because it is anti-Gorkhaland, but had pinned our hopes on the BJP.”
Interestingly, GJM president Bimal
Gurung has appealed to Lama to support Ahluwalia, but the independent
candidate has reportedly rebuffed the request. Lama, the
founder-president of the Darjeeling-Dooars United Development
Foundation, has asked Gurung to support him instead.
The CPRM general secretary said several
issues, including the demand for a separate state, were discussed with
the DDUDF president. In the event of a win, Lama has assured to form a
steering committee on the statehood issue, of which the CPRM will be one
of the members, informed Rai.
Meantime, Lama, who was present during
the CPRM’s press briefing this afternoon, expressed happiness on getting
the party’s support.
He said, "I am thankful to the CPRM for
supporting me. I would also like to say that when two like-minded groups
join hands, it will be easier to take up the statehood issue in Delhi."
On the GJM's appeal to him to support
Ahluwalia, Lama said, "The question of supporting the BJP does not arise
because when the Telangana bill was placed in Parliament, Jaswant Singh
did not one raise the statehood demand even once.”
However, the independent candidate urged
Gorkha National Liberation Front chief Subash Ghisingh to support him.
"He (Ghisingh) was the first to raise the statehood issue. Therefore,
for the sake of the people’s wishes, I appeal to him to extend support
to me," said Lama.
When asked for his comments on the day’s
development, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, "We would not like
to comment on the CPRM supporting Lama. But the CPRM’s claim about the
statehood issue not figuring in the BJP's election manifesto is
completely false. It was there in the 2009 election and remain so this
year too and it is solely on this basis that we decided to support the
BJP. Besides, the BJP's manifesto has not been made public as yet.”
In another development during the day,
the CPM tried meeting with CPRM leaders, but failed to get any
appointment. Even so, Saman Pathak, the CPM's candidate from Darjeeling,
expressed confidence of winning after becoming the first candidate to
file nomination papers at the district magistrate’s office
here. The other candidate to file the required documents was the Bhaujan Samaj Party's 38-year-old Kabuli Roy.(EOIC)