A sudden move by the Kurseong Municipality to allegedly rename a new community hall planned to be dedicated to Subash Ghisingh, the former supremo of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), has sparked a controversy in the hills.

Hill Trinamul leaders have criticised the civic body where its ally Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Binay Tamang faction) is in power. The GNLF threatened a movement if the decision wasn’t revoked.

Sources said in February 2017, chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the hall, planned in Kurseong by the state government, would be named after Ghisingh.

“She had also renamed Rohini Road as Subash Ghisingh Raj Marg. We thanked her for her gesture,” said Robin Lama, a GNLF central committee member in Kurseong.

The state north Bengal development department sanctioned Rs 3 crore for the hall and state PWD built it as a space for cultural and other events. A few days back, the civic body had inaugurated the hall, calling it the Municipal Community Hall, a source said.

Shanta Chhetri, a Rajya Sabha member of Trinamul who hails from the hills, openly aired her disappointment. “It is disappointing that civic authorities changed the hall’s name (when) the announcement was made by none other than the chief minister,” she said.

The GNLF has threatened a protest from July 1 if the new name stayed on. “We appeal to the civic body to change the name immediately. If they don’t, we will launch a sit-in at the civic body from July 1. The state government’s decision can’t be changed by a civic board,” Lama said, adding they would submit a memo to the Kurseong SDO on Wednesday.

Civic body members said the political parties were making a “fuss out of a non-issue”.“We inaugurated the building after state PWD told us it was ready. We will name it in an appropriate manner once we get an official communication from the state. There is no politics in it,” said Subhash Pradhan, vice-chairman of Kurseong municipality.