Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung on Sunday hinted that the BJP might face retaliation if it held meetings or sought votes in the hills in poll-bound-Bengal.
Speaking at a public meeting at Vah-Tukvar, his former GTA constituency, for the first time in more than three years, Gurung said: “If the BJP conducts meetings in villages or anywhere in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Mirik, they should not be allowed...”
The Gorkha leader instead said “people should directly ask BJP” what the saffron party had done for them.
“You (the BJP) do not have the right to conduct meetings or seek votes in the hills…and this is what you (the people of the hills) need to raise before them (the BJP),” said Gurung.
The leader said the BJP had failed to live up to its commitment of granting tribal status and permanent political solution despite including both promises in its election manifesto twice.
Gurung was an ally of the BJP from 2009 until October 2020 when he decided to join hands with Trinamul.
“Youths must go in thousands (at the BJP meetings) and question this let down on the Schedule Tribe lollipop,” said Gurung.
Despite the BJP winning polls, its organisational strength is still in its formative stages in the hills.
Gurung said that it was “no use blaming Mamata Banerjee” when his own people had betrayed him, a reference to Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa who floated a splinter group of the Morcha in 2017.
He also launched a vitriolic attack on Darjeeling MP Raju Bista of the BJP. Describing Bista as someone whom Gurung had “made”, Gurung said: “If Raju Bista comes to Darjeeling he will have to return, this is my word.”
“Raju Bista (was) nothing, but because of your love for me, because of my appeals, you voted for him,” said Gurung, and added that now Bista was talking against him. Bista had won by more than 4.5 lakh votes in 2019.
Bista did not take calls from the paper when the copy was filed on Sunday night. However, Kalyan Dewan, president, BJP (hills), called Gurung’s assertion a “murder of democracy.” “Holding public meetings is a constitutional right. Through public meetings we can clarify our stand on various issues, about Gorkhas…. His statement reflects arrogance, undemocratic, illegal, unconstitutional and dictatorial attitude. Who is he to grant or deny public meetings?” Dewan said.
Observers, however, wondered if Gurung would be able to stop the BJP from holding public meetings once the model code of conduct kicked in.
Gurung also called himself the guardian of the hills and announced a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 each to 50 elderly people from each of the 45 GTA constituencies, the Dooars and Terai from next month. For 50 elders from Vah-Tukvar, he started the scheme from this month.
“We will set aside funds (for the scheme),” he added. Going by conservative attempts, Gurung would be spending over Rs 33 lakhs per month for this scheme.