BJP national chief Amit Shah referred to the Gorkhas at a public rally in Alipurduar on Friday, the first such comment on the community by any party leader in the past 18 months.

In the past one-and-a-half years, hardly any top BJP leader had spoken about the community that supported the party in two consecutive Parliament elections .

Even Shah, who was in Malda on January this year, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Jalpaiguri district in February, were silent on the Gorkhas and their demands.

On Friday, however, Shah spoke about them and went on accusing the state government of resorting to oppression in the hills.

“My Gorkha brothers, who bleed for the country and take on the enemies of India, have faced atrocities unleashed by Mamata Didi and her government. But I want to tell to my Gorkha brothers and sisters that they need not to worry…. BJP will stand with them like a rock in protest…. Your days of distress are over,” he said.

Since 2017, after the statehood agitation had rocked the hills, the BJP and its MP from Darjeeling, S.S. Ahluwalia, had to face criticism from the Gorkha residents for not standing by them during hours of crisis.

In fact, the circumstances changed fast and it became tough for BJP leaders to go up to the hills. For the past 18 months, the party could not take up any political activity in the hills as people fumed at the BJP and accused the party of using them for political purposes.

It is only recently that the tables turned in the BJP’s favour as GNLF extended support at BJP and joined hands with the Bimal Gurung faction of Morcha. This made the BJP to field a candidate in Darjeeling seat and it is because of GNLF and the Morcha (Gurung faction) that the candidate and some BJP leaders could make it to the hills.

“Now that they have found a new ally in hills, central leaders of the party are not trying to revive support of the Gorkhas by spurring the anti-Trinamul sentiments,” said an observer.

He also pointed that as Narendra Modi will be in Siliguri on April 3 to speak at a public meeting, Shah had tried to placate the grievance of Gorkhas ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.

“On February, there was hardly any presence of Gorkhas at the Prime Minister’s meeting in Maynaguri (located around 65 kilometres from Siliguri). But this time, BJP and its allies will have to ensure the presence of Gorkhas to prove that they have their support. Or else, other political parties will not take time to question about BJP’s support in hills,” the observer added.

The BJP chief however, was silent on the tea sector, much to the disappointment of hundreds of tea workers.