Darjeeling, 18 March: A section of supporters of the Trinamul Congress Hill unit today alleged
that some TMC leaders in the Hills are involved in rampant corruption.
Making public reports of the alleged corruption, the supporters said the leaders in question hoodwinked people by making false promises of jobs in state government departments and promising licences to open ration shops, while taking money from them.
They said that the victim raised the issue in several TMC meetings, but to no avail. They alleged that the leaders remained mum on the issue. In resentment, around 400-450 houses in Som Tea Estate in the Pul-Bijanbari block of Darjeeling, today switched over allegiance from the TMC to the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM).
“I have proof that when the state recently announced vacancies in the food and supplies department, one district committee member of the TMC asked for Rs 4 lakh and told me he would do the needful," general secretary of the Pul-Bijanbari block of the TMC, Ranjit Alay, told reporters after joining the GJMM.
"The TMC president of the Pul-Bijanbari block, Nirmal Singh, took Rs 10,000 in cash from a local man, promising him permission to set up a ration shop," he added. Joint secretary of the block’s TMC, Bharat Tamang, who also joined the GJMM, said he has received reports that Mr Singh has taken a lot of money from people by promising them jobs.
“We had filed a complaint with the zilla committee president, the core committee, the district committee and even the TMC Sabhasad of the secretary, demanding the culprit be immediately expelled from the party," Mr Tamang said.
The spokesperson of the Hills TMC, Binny Sharma, however, said the allegations are baseless. “People never came to us seeking a solution to their problems. This is just a GJMM conspiracy to throttle the TMC ahead of the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
According to Mr Alay, almost all TMC people of the 23 GP in the Pul-Bijanbari block have expressed their desire to join the GJMM.
GJMM chief Bimal Gurung today handed over party flags to the new entrants at Paatleybaash, on the outskirts of Darjeeling.
"In the country’s post-Independence era, I have found that the TMC is the most spoiled political party. Its leaders ask people to join the party, make false promises of jobs and take away their hard-earned money," he said. (SNS)
Making public reports of the alleged corruption, the supporters said the leaders in question hoodwinked people by making false promises of jobs in state government departments and promising licences to open ration shops, while taking money from them.
They said that the victim raised the issue in several TMC meetings, but to no avail. They alleged that the leaders remained mum on the issue. In resentment, around 400-450 houses in Som Tea Estate in the Pul-Bijanbari block of Darjeeling, today switched over allegiance from the TMC to the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM).
“I have proof that when the state recently announced vacancies in the food and supplies department, one district committee member of the TMC asked for Rs 4 lakh and told me he would do the needful," general secretary of the Pul-Bijanbari block of the TMC, Ranjit Alay, told reporters after joining the GJMM.
"The TMC president of the Pul-Bijanbari block, Nirmal Singh, took Rs 10,000 in cash from a local man, promising him permission to set up a ration shop," he added. Joint secretary of the block’s TMC, Bharat Tamang, who also joined the GJMM, said he has received reports that Mr Singh has taken a lot of money from people by promising them jobs.
“We had filed a complaint with the zilla committee president, the core committee, the district committee and even the TMC Sabhasad of the secretary, demanding the culprit be immediately expelled from the party," Mr Tamang said.
The spokesperson of the Hills TMC, Binny Sharma, however, said the allegations are baseless. “People never came to us seeking a solution to their problems. This is just a GJMM conspiracy to throttle the TMC ahead of the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
According to Mr Alay, almost all TMC people of the 23 GP in the Pul-Bijanbari block have expressed their desire to join the GJMM.
GJMM chief Bimal Gurung today handed over party flags to the new entrants at Paatleybaash, on the outskirts of Darjeeling.
"In the country’s post-Independence era, I have found that the TMC is the most spoiled political party. Its leaders ask people to join the party, make false promises of jobs and take away their hard-earned money," he said. (SNS)
Morcha 35 switch to CPM
Siliguri, March 18: Around 35
workers of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha from Kalimpong subdivision joined
the CPM here today, saying the hill party had become corrupt.
Led by Morcha
leader Rohit Biswarkarma, the 30-odd youths walked into Anil Biswas
Bhawan, the Darjeeling district CPM office. They joined the CPM in the
presence of the party’s district secretary Jibesh Sarkar, former
minister Asok Bhattacharya and Saman Pathak, the CPM candidate for the
Darjeeling Parliament seat.
“We are
disillusioned with the Morcha which has become a party of corruption
now. Also, we sincerely feel that a permanent solution to the hill
problem cannot be found by local and regional parties like the Morcha or
Trinamul, which are opportunist,” said Biswakarma.
In the past
two-three years, it was Morcha workers who have mostly switched to the
Trinamul. Today’s switch was the first time when Morcha workers joined
the CPM.
The new entrants
into the CPM said Trinamul candidate for Darjeeling, Bhaichung Bhutia,
might not solve basic problems faced by the people.
“All of us have
joined CPM as we don’t think Bhaichung Bhutia can address our basic
problems. We don’t think he can realise the problems faced by us like
collecting drinking water from hilly streams because of the absence of
water supply. It is only the CPM, which has the grassroots support, can
address such issues,” said a Morcha worker.
Another Morcha
worker said: “In the name of development, the Trinamul government has
created a rift within different hill communities.”(The Telegraph)