Standing at Chowrasta, the heart of Darjeeling, chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her hill ally Anit Thapa questioned the sincerity of the BJP, without naming the party, towards the Darjeeling hills.

The BJP has won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat four times in a row since 2009, Trinamool, never.

"They go with votes, with promises galore, but they do nothing but lie. This time (during the Lok Sabha election) we had nominated (Gopal) Lama sahib, an ex-ADM, but he did not win. How can he win, he cannot lie,” Mamata, without taking the BJP’s name, said on Wednesday.

Mamata meets residents of Darjeeling

Lama lost to BJP’s Raju Bista by over 1.5 lakh votes.

“Looks like these are the days of lies, fake news, narratives. They come with money during vote time but in times of crisis they are nowhere to be seen,” Mamata told the crowd after inaugurating a handicraft mela of self-help groups from across the state.

The two major demands of Darjeeling hills include the creation of Gorkhaland and granting tribal status to 11 communities, which fall under the domain of the central government.

The BJP had promised a permanent political solution (PPS), which many in the hills interpret as Gorkhaland, and tribal status to 11 communities in its 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto.

There has not been much progress on both issues. The Office of the Registrar-General of India (ORGI) has rejected the demand.

The chief minister on Wednesday also rolled out figures to suggest that the state government was working for hill uplift.

“In the last decade, we have spent ₹11,000 crore while work worth ₹4,000 crore is currently going on (in GTA area),” said Mamata.

On Wednesday, Mamata also inaugurated projects worth ₹161 crore which included drinking water schemes, roads, footpaths and creches for tea garden workers, among others. She also laid foundation stones for projects worth ₹500 crore.

Anit Thapa, chief executive of GTA, who spoke before Mamata, also raised the issue of this year's Lok Sabha polls.

“In the last election, the chief minister gave a ticket to a Gorkha son (Lama) but we ensured his defeat. She did not even come to seek votes.... Despite the loss, she repeatedly comes to Darjeeling to ensure its development. We must learn to reciprocate her good gesture towards us,” said Thapa.

Mamata said she does not visit Darjeeling for politics but because she loves Darjeeling.

“Your daughter is married to my family. I also have a blood relation with you now,” she told the crowd and stressed unity and peace in the hills.

Mamata also made it clear that she would continue to promote and strengthen ties with Thapa and his party in the Darjeeling hills.

Raju Bista, the Darjeeling BJP MP, accused Mamata of “consistently” ignoring pressing issues of the Darjeeling hills, the Terai and the Dooars.

“Those who were singing and dancing to welcome Mamata Banerjee need to reflect on the fact that the chief minister came as a tourist, and is going back after planting seeds of further division among our people,” the BJP MP said.