BJP MLA files papers as Independent in Darjeeling
BJP MLA from Matigara Naxalbari Anandamay Barman said, “There is enough time to withdraw nomination papers. Party will talk to him and then make an appropriate decision.”
A section of the Hill Trinamul Congress leaders has come to the conclusion that the state government should take GJMM chief Bimal Gurung into confidence in order to restore normality in the Hills. It may be mentioned that despite administrative efforts to end the indefinite shutdown which has entered its 92nd day today, the Hills remained shut.
Asked to comment, Hill Trinamul Congress president Rajen Mukhia said: “I personally think that calling off the strike without Bimal Gurung’s consent is tough.”
“There are many leaders in the Hills now, and there is a competition among them to prove who is on the top. But I think, personally, that Bimal Gurung will try to prove that he is still the supreme leader in the Hills and that it will be him who will finally call off the strike strategically,” Mukhia said during a casual interaction with reporters at Uttarkanya here on Thursday.
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Notably, just after a few hours of Mukhia’s comment, GJMM chief Gurung called reporters in Darjeeling and urged people to maintain patience, while also asking supporters to resist administrative efforts to end the indefinite shutdown.
The Hill Trinamul Congress president was here to attend a meeting at Uttarkanya with three ministers, who reviewed the situation in the Hills and discussed the public distribution system and payment of bonus for tea workers in the Hills.
“The Hill leaders speak like tigers outside, but they were like cats in the meeting convened by chief minister Mamata Banerjee here on 12 September,” Mukhia said. Citing an example, Mukhia said: “All India Gorkha League (AIGL) leader Laxman Pradhan spoke a lot in favour of Gorkhaland in front of the TV camera just to become a hero in the Hills. But he said nothing serious during the meeting.”
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