The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), an ally of the BJP, on Monday started putting up black flags across the hills to protest against the BJP-led Centre’s failure to address core political issues of the Darjeeling hills.

“We are putting up black flags across the hills from today to protest against the Centre’s failure to address our issues,” said M.G. Subba, the president of the GNLF Darjeeling branch committee.

“It is time for the Centre to fulfil its promises. We will continue our protests with a series of programmes,”added Subba.

The BJP had promised a permanent political solution for the Darjeeling hills and tribal status to 11 Gorkha communities in its 2019 LokSabha manifesto.

The party has not defined a permanent political solution but most in the hills interpret it as the Gorkhaland state.

The BJP has been winning the Darjeeling seat since 2009. The GNLF, however, has been supporting the GNLF from 2019 only.

The Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba who on Monday spoke of the need to “demerge” Darjeeling hills from Bengal, is a GNLF leader who had fought the Assembly elections on a BJP ticket.

During the recently held Lok Sabha elections, GNLF and Zimba had actively campaigned for Bista.

Observers are surprised at the ire towards BJP when the government at the Centre has just been sworn in a couple of months back.

GNLF leader Subba, however, said: “Raju Bista has changed his colour like a chameleon. We had supported Raju Bista with the hope that he would act as a bridge and raise our issues but he is now more interested in spreading his party than working onour issues.”

Bista said that he had nothing much to comment on an activity by a different party. “It is their party’s program and I have nothing to comment,” said Bista.

During the last five-and-half years Bista has repeatedly raised the issue of PPS and tribal status in Parliament but it is another matter that the BJP-led government has not addressed these issues.