BJP Bengal minder Kailash Vijayvargiya has stirred up a hornet’s nest in the Darjeeling hills by linking 11 local communities seeking tribal status with Nepal.

While addressing the media in Kurseong on Monday, Vijayvargiya said: “Nepal’s 11 communities’ problem will be solved by the state and the Centre. We are confident that the BJP will form the government in the state.”

He made the statement while accompanying Kurseong BJP candidate B.P. Bajgain to file his nomination.

On Tuesday, there was widespread condemnation of Vijayvargiya linking the 11 communities — Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunuwar, Thami, Yakka (Dewan) and Dhimal — with Nepal.

Indian Gorkhas do not like being tagged with Nepal and even the demand for a separate state is linked to establishing a distinct identity of Indian Gorkhas from Nepali-speaking citizens of the Himalayan country.

That is why most hill parties demand abrogation of the Indo-Nepal friendship treaty 1950’s Clause VII which allows for free movement and other privileges in residence and conducting business in each other’s territory.

Proponents of Gorkhaland believe that these privileges blur the distinct identity of Indian Gorkhas from citizens of Nepal.

Against this background, Vijayvargiya’s statement, the BJP leader has clarified that it was a slip of tongue, has put the saffron party on the backfoot.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang said: “The BJP has insulted the Gorkhas in their homeland by calling us those from Nepal. When will the BJP agree to call us Gorkhas as Indians?”

Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Bimal Gurung camp of the Morcha, said Vijayvargiya’s statement reflected the BJP’s thinking about Gorkhas.

“We had in the past repeatedly met senior BJP leaders, including Vijayvargiya, and submitted memoranda for conferring tribal status on the 11 communities. His statement makes it clear the BJP thinks we are from Nepal. We must defeat the BJP in this election,” said Giri.

Not just political parties but individuals, too, have been flooding social media with messages of protest against the BJP. This is not the first time that the BJP has been caught napping in understanding hill sentiments.

In the run up to the 2019 general election, then Darjeeling BJP MP, S.S. Ahluwalia, had said many demanding a son-of-the-soil candidate for the hill seat “were born in Nepal”.

Following widespread protests, Ahluwalia had to issue a clarification in English and Nepali and many also believe that his remark was one of the reasons behind the denial of a BJP ticket for him in Darjeeling. He was fielded in the Burdwan-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat.

There have been numerous instances of leaders who are from outside the Darjeeling hills coming up with statements which are not in sync with hill emotions and sentiments.

Such statements have put their respective parties in uncomfortable positions and handed advantages to rivals.