The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has promised to ban all political and
government programmes at Chowrasta and the surrounding area if it is
voted to power in Darjeeling municipality, an announcement which was not
immediately opposed by the Trinamul Congress given the support for such
a move.
Trinamul, however, did sound cautious and said the move might have
been prompted to stop Mamata Banerjee from reaching out to the hill
masses as Chowrasta was the chief minister's favourite venue for public
address in Darjeeling.
The promise was made in the manifesto the Morcha
released today for Darjeeling civic polls. "Keeping in mind that
Chowrasta is the haunt of tourists and local people alike, we will
ensure that there is a ban on political and government functions there,"
said Binay Tamang, the assistant general secretary of the Morcha.
Before the rise of the Morcha in 2007, government and political
programmes used to be organised in Darjeeling's most prominent
promenade, though not too frequently. However, soon after the formation
of the Morcha, the hill party started holding political meetings there
regularly. After the GTA was formed in 2012, the hill body also
conducted programmes at Chowrasta.
Mamata had come up to the Darjeeling hills more than 40 times in the
past six years. During most of her visits, Mamata has addressed people
from Chowrasta, much to the dismay of the public.
During every visit of the chief minister, huge pandals are erected at
Chowrasta as is done during the Morcha's events, spoiling the ambience
of the promenade.
N.B. Khawash, the working president, Trinamul (hills), when told
about the Morcha's Chowrasta mention, said: "Let us first see what they
would do. However, there is also a thought that maybe, they have raised
this issue keeping in mind that the chief minister prefers to address
gatherings from Chowrasta. They probably want to stop her from visiting
the hills but this will not be the case as the chief minister is serious
about developing the hills."
Khawash added: "During election time, they are talking about heritage
structures and the need to preserve them. The Morcha was responsible
for destroying the heritage buildings of Darjeeling. Sailabash was razed
to the ground by them and not us."
Sailabash, the over-a-century old summer retreat of the royal family
of Digapatia, which is in Bangladesh now, was brought down to set up a
modern hotel management institute by the GTA.
Common people, however, are in favour of banning all political and
government events at Chowrasta. "Such nuisance at Chowrasta should be
stopped. Other venues in Darjeeling can be used for programmes. This
should be the agenda of not only political parties but also the
government. In fact, public meetings should also be banned from Chowk
Bazar as it disrupts normal life," said a Darjeeling resident.(TT)
Post a Comment
We love to hear from you! What's on your mind?