Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista on Monday said he would be “the first person” to tell the Union home minister to implement Inner Line Permit system in the hills provided that Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee raised the issue in writing with Amit Shah.
Bista’s statement comes days after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang said he had written to the Prime Minister, home minister and the chief minister of other states raising the ILP and other issues.
The Darjeeling MP on Monday told the media: “If you are sincere about the (ILP) demand, please first talk to Mamata Banerjee and tell her….if Mamata didi listens to Binayjiu (Tamang) and makes a demand before the home minister, I will be the first person to go to him and tell him that the ILP should be implemented here (Darjeeling hills),” said Bista.
Sources told The Telegraph that during an indoor meeting with supporters at Glenary’s here earlier today, Bista said Amit Shah didn’t know Binay Tamang. “The home minister does not know Binay Tamang. So, Mamata didi should write a letter demanding the ILP,” the source quoted Bista as saying.
At the meeting, the MP labelled Tamang as a “self-proclaimed leader of Gorkhas”.
Observers have said Bista’s stand on the ILP has a two-pronged strategy. “He is trying to convince the hill people that he would go all out to protect their land and culture, irrespective of who raised the issue. On the other hand, he is trying to corner Tamang by demanding that Mamata raise the issue,” said an observer.
Mamata Banerjee has not spelt out her stand on the ILP for the hills.
During the press interaction, Bista said: “I will not say the ILP is bad and should not be implemented. Looking at the demography and the situation in the hills, if there is some protection, I will always appreciate it.”
Ajoy Edwards, the president of the GNLF (Darjeeling branch) and an ally of the BJP, had, however, said the ILP “is a bad idea” for a place depending on tourism.
Bista walked the middle path on Monday. “But we have to study (the implication of the ILP in the hills) because of the tourism sector, these can be solved, but we have to see how much it affects tourism sectors.”
