Gorkhaland agitation a great shock on tourism in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Gangtok. Image Courtesy – https://scroll.in
BJP is trying to capture its political land in North Bengal with supporting the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on demand of separate Gorkhaland state. BJP kept the Gorkhaland issue as their triumph card but not used it in their election manifesto in the time of 2014 Lok Sabha election. The TMC government, after getting elected for the 2nd time in Bengal, almost broke the hope of BJP to conquer power in Bengal.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is now deliberately searching its political land in Bengal somehow or other. With the help of this Gorkhaland issue, BJP has already on the way to fulfil their dream to grasp power in hill area. Now, leaders of BJP party ‘sympathetically examining and considering long-pending demands of the Gorkhas, rural people of Darjeeling and Dooars region’.
Bharatiya Janata Party has a negligible presence in Bengal. They know the fact that with their ideology and election manifesto, it is nearly impossible to outclass the ruling Trinamool Congress in Bengal. Bharatiya Janata Party has a negligible presence in Bengal. They know the fact that with their ideology and election manifesto, it is nearly impossible to outclass the ruling Trinamool Congress in Bengal. Obviously, their policy is to play some tricky political games and to create a situation like this in specific parts of Bengal so that people get irritated with the ruling TMC government.
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In any case, the saffron party has made critical picks up in the recent Left bastion in the previous two years – developing as the essential challenger to the decision Trinamool Congress. The BJP is supporting the bifurcation of West Bengal in the light of fact that it has been agreeable to littler states. Union minister and Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia has kept in touch with Union home minister Rajnath Singh, approaching him to look at the interest for a different state.
The dilemma of BJP is that, if they clearly support the ‘Gorkhaland issue’, they have to loose the political land of plain area in Bengal. On the other hand, if they clearly stand against the ‘Gorkhaland’ issue, they will loose the political land of hill area. So, they are actually playing a safe, ‘double standard’ game simultaneously with the people of plain land and the people of hill area.
Patrolling of Army near burning vehicles after clashes with supporters of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Darjeeling. Image Courtesy – http://www.newindianexpress.com.
Gurung would not be accommodative of the BJP’s political impulses, however. A past individual from the Gorkha Volunteer Cell, the aggressor wing of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), Gurung had set aside little opportunity to dump his supporter. GNLF boss Subhash Ghising – in the wake of grabbing a chance to activate general feeling by setting up fan clubs for then Darjeeling Indian Idol competitor Prashant Tamang.
He set up the GJM in 2007 and soon constrained Ghising to move base to Jalpaiguri. Gurung went ahead to end up noticeably chief executive of the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) – a semi-autonomous administrative body that supplanted the Ghising-drove Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in 2012. In the meantime, the GNLF leader died like a demoralized man in a Delhi hospital in 2015.
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The GJM cleared the GTA races in 2012. But it was seen to in a weak situation in current year’s races – particularly after the Trinamool Congress won ‘civic body polls’ in Mirik, which was a stronghold of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Gurung required an emotional issue to recapture his hold on the region. He got the chance when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a month ago that Bengali would be made a necessary subject in schools. The 54-year-old Gurung is known as an ace strategist. He jumped on the controversial issue to begin an agitation.
Bimal Gurung encashed his opportunity with the help of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, who are actually playing double standard game for their political interest. But, they should think that people of hill area are the prime sufferer here. If tourism gets stopped on account of violence, people of the hill will live from hand to mouth.
Bharatiya Janata Party, as the ruling government of the centre should clearly declare their point of view – whether they support ‘division of Bengal’ or not.
