Shanta Chhetri, the Rajya Sabha member of Trinamul from the hills, lambasted the leaders of the hill-based parties other than the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha for acting as “marketing agents” of the saffron brigade ahead of the Bengal elections.

In recent months, this is the first time that a Trinamul leader has spoken in such aggressive terms against the hill parties other than the Morcha. Both the factions of the Morcha are allies of Trinamul now.

Leaders of BJP’s allies such as the GNLF, CPRM and ABGL, all of which are based in the hills, had been to Delhi along with the BJP’s national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and Darjeeling MP Raju Bista to meet BJP leaders and central ministers over two longstanding demands — a permanent political solution for hills and Scheduled Tribe status for 11 hill communities.

Chhetri, while speaking here on Friday, said that back in 2014 chief minister Mamata Banerjee had mooted a proposal for the conferment of ST status to the hill communities.

“The proposal had been passed in the state cabinet in February 2014, and was sent to the Centre for necessary steps. After I became an MP in the Rajya Sabha in 2017, I had also raised the issue at the House. But the Centre has not done anything on the demand so far,” said the Rajya Sabha MP.

Chhetri also pointed out that even though the BJP had won the Darjeeling parliamentary seat for three consecutive terms, none of the MPs had bothered to take any initiative on the demand.

“Now that the Assembly elections are ahead, BJP has again started floating promises,” said Chhetri, who is also the district Trinamul chief of Kalimpong.

“It is unfortunate that some regional party leaders have become active (in the matter) and are acting like the marketing agents of the BJP to pave way for the party,” she added.

Another Trinamul leader in hills, who did not want to be named, said that while on one hand, the state had carried out development work across the hills, the party, on the other hand, had taken up the task to build its base, particularly in the rural areas and in tea plantations of the region.

“Even if these (regional) parties stand with the BJP, it would not be an easy contest for the saffron party in the three Assembly seats of the hills. We have the support of both factions of the Morcha which still happens to be the strongest political force in hills,” the leader added.

Also, Bimal Gurung, who heads one of the Morcha factions, downplayed Thursday’s meeting between leaders of some hill parties and Union minister of state for home affairs and said nothing would come to their hands.

“I had also attended a number of such meetings in Delhi. They are nothing but photo sessions with central ministers and leaders. Nothing will come out of these,” said Gurung, who was in Odlabari of Jalpaiguri to attend a meeting with local residents.

When asked about a permanent political solution in the hills, Gurung said he would join hands with chief minister Mamata Banerjee and mount pressure on the state to act on the demand.

Gurung has iterated that he and his faction stand firm on the Gorkhaland demand despite teaming up with Trinamul.