Hill rivals in NRC scurry

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 19 September 2019,  Darjeeling: Political parties in the hills have rushed to highlight the NRC issue to shore up their base, with Binay Tamang-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha promising to stand by the Gorkhas left out of the list in Assam.

On Wednesday, Tamang recalled that during his fourday visit to Assam last week, he had promised the Gorkhas that his party would fight for their case legally "without raising a single penny ". The Morcha leader's statement was widely seen as an attempt to send the message that his party would stand by the community.

"The Gorkhas in Assam are facing a lot of money problems. I have told them that I will fight their case and will Binay Tamang not raise a penny from the Gorkhas in Assam," Tamang had declared on his return from the Assam trip.

Not just Tamang, the rival Bimal Gurung camp of the Morcha had also sent a delegation to Assam to take stock of the ground reality. Trinamul has decided to send a team to Assam soon. Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista and MLA Neeraj Zimba, who is from the GNLF, recently visited Assam.

The BJP and the Gurung camp were quick to seize on a purported statement by Trinamul minister Gautam Deb that if the "NRC is implemented in Bengal, the hills would be empty".

"I condemn the absolutely hateful comment made by Trinamul leader Gautam Deb in Mirk (on Tuesday)," said Bista.

"His statement shows how TMC as a party and Mr. Gautam Deb view the hill people. What Mr. Gautam said in his roundabout way is, `we believe majority Gorkhas are outsiders, so they will have to leave'," Bista said in a written statement.

Prakash Gurung, a leader of the Morcha's Gurung camp, released a video condemning Deb's statement. "The Gorkhas have not come like illegal Bangladeshis by crossing barbed wires but have come with the land," said Prakash, referring to the various treaties and battles between Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and the erstwhile East India Company.

At a time most parties are trying to champion the cause of the Gorkhas, Amar Lama of the Jana Andolan Party called for all of them to stop politicising the issue and come together on a common platform.

"The Gorkhas of Assam do not need a delegation from Darjeeling to solve their issue as they are competent people there. We should, instead, learn from the mistakes in Assam and start awareness campaigns among our own people so that mistakes are not repeated," said Lama. The view has found resonance among many residents of the hills.

"This is not an issue for politics and one-upmanship. All hill parties should come together, understand the problems that our people might face and work towards solving these issues," said Lama..