Current circumstances most favourable for Gorkhaland: HB Chettri

PRADIP LOHAGUN 

KALIMPONG : Gorkha Janmukti Morcha spokesperson Dr. Harka Bahadur Chettri interacted with media persons at the party office in Melli to thank people for voting for the BJP in the Lok Sabha election. During the meet, he said overall circumstances are favourable for the formation of a separate state of Gorkhaland. A BJP candidate from Darjeeling, the formation of a BJP-led government at the Centre, two Gorkha MPs from Uttaranchal as well as the SDF government in Sikkim deciding to support the NDA have made things almost perfect for the formation of Gorkhaland this time, observed Chettri. He said, “There won’t be such favourable circumstances again in the future for the formation of a Gorkhaland state. The BJP formed three small states during its last tenure, and we are hopeful it will do the same this time too. If Gorkhaland is not formed within the next five years, Subash Ghising’s remark of ‘na phalnay bann tarul’ (wild tuber that does not grow) would hold true.” Further, Chettri said if the Centre does not heed to the aspirations of the people of the hills, it will be considered a betrayal by the entire nation. “If Gorkhaland is not formed this time, it will never become a reality again and this is what is worrying us.

This is our last chance,” he stressed. Rebuffing a Bharatiya Gorkha Parishad leader’s recent comment on SS Ahluwalia’s statement to a local newspaper, Chettri said the GJM believes more in the words of the central government than in what Ahluwalia has to say. “We did not strike a deal with Ahluwalia; we had an agreement with BJP president Rajnath Singh. The main reason why prime minister-elect Narendra Modi said the Gorkha people’s dream is his dream is because Rajnath Singh said so. Having said that, Ahluwalia has never made any statement on Gorkhaland, hence we do not consider the BGP leader’s comment as important,” he said. The GJM spokesperson also accused the Trinamool Congress of resorting to violence as it is unable to digest its defeat in the hills. “The TMC is misusing the police force to work in its favour and trying to spread its evil ploys in the hills,” he alleged. “The GJM has not been involved in any kind of violence, both before and after the elections.

It is the TMC that is spreading violence and its cadres’ activities indicate the party leadership is trying to create turmoil in the hills and instigate GJM supporters into retaliating. The TMC is trying to force our supporters to create tension just to repeat the process of arrests and prosecutions all over again.” Claiming his party is unperturbed by the activities of its rivals, Chettri said, “The people have given a clear mandate to our candidate and we will concentrate on keeping the Gorkhaland demand alive for them and inject more vigour into it in the days to come. We will not falter an inch from the faith reposed on us by the people of the hills. As an elected party, we will continue on our quest to fulfill the people’s demand, and with their support, we will ensure our ultimate goal is achieved.”