Kolkata: The hills of Darjeeling are heating up politically. From National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar – several VIPs flocked to the hills this month.
While Doval’s visit was said to be “personal”, the two CMs – who met at a tea party organized by Dhankhar on Wednesday evening – cited different reasons. While Mamata said she was there to win over the hearts of the people, Sarma said she was invited by the governor to “experience the equanimity and uniqueness of life” in Darjeeling. His arrival coincided with the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) President Anit Thapa.
Doval and his family landed at North Bengal’s Bagdogra airport on July 2; He was received at the airport by BJP’s Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba. The NSA and his family stayed for five days at the Makaibari tea garden near Kurseong. On July 4, Doval and his wife visited a primary school and spent time with the students. While the official engagements of the NSA were not known, the visit came three days after the GTA election results and two months after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s political rally in north Bengal’s Siliguri.
“Mr Doval was here on a personal visit. There were no talks, neither political or otherwise. He was spending time with his family,” Zimba told ThePrint.
During a political rally in Darjeeling in 2021, Zimba claimed to have caught Doval. two meetings With Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) President Man Ghising during the 2017 Gorkhaland Movement
Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, however, claimed that Doval’s visit was of national importance. “Darjeeling is located at the heart of the sensitive Chicken Neck region, hence the Government of India has a natural interest in ensuring the well being of the people here. I believe the National Security Advisor would not be spending time in an area if it was not important from our national security point of view,” he told ThePrint.
Mamta’s second visit in 3 months
On her way to Darjeeling on July 11, Mamata stepped out of her vehicle to wave a victory sign along with Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) chief Aneet Thapa as well as the newly elected chief executive officer of the GTA. Participating in the swearing-in ceremony, Mamata said she had called Thapa to Kolkata to discuss development projects with the chief secretary. Thapa had gone to the state secretariat Nabanna on July 6 to invite Mamata to the GTA swearing-in ceremony. He also met Trinamool Congress (TMC) second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee at his office in Kolkata.
The GTA elections were held after a decade on 26 June. It was a violence-free election, and Thapa shared the stage with Hamro Party’s opposition leader Ajoy Edwards at the swearing-in ceremony held on Tuesday.
In 2010, Madan Tamang, president of the All India Gorkha League, was assassinated in broad daylight, minutes before he was to address a political rally. At that time the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung was ruling the hills of North Bengal. Except for the Gorkhaland movement in 2017, the region has remained peaceful.
During the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, Mamata said on stage that she had invited her “friends” for the ceremony. She also remarked that she was in Darjeeling not to capture power but to win hearts. This was his second visit to Darjeeling in three months.
The TMC has never won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, which comprises seven assembly constituencies – Matigara-Naxalbari, Siliguri, Chopra, Phansideo (Plains), Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong (Hills). BJP has been winning this seat since 2009.
“Our sole aim is to ensure that there is peace in the hills, I do not want any confrontation. We will not come here to capture the hills but to win the hearts of the people. If the mountains are calm, Darjeeling’s economic progress will increase,” Mamata said at the swearing-in ceremony. He announced several development projects including an industry centre, which the West Bengal government is planning to set up in the hills of North Bengal along with an IT sector for employment of youth.
“You see how peaceful Darjeeling is. But BJP cannot fathom it. We welcome everyone to the hills, be it NSA Ajit Doval or chief ministers of BJP ruled states. Bollywood is also choosing Darjeeling. Kareena Kapoor Khan shot a film here,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told ThePrint.
Meanwhile, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar reached Darjeeling on July 13 to administer the oath to GTA President Anit Thapa. In the evening, he surprised everyone by inviting his guests for tea. The Chief Ministers of both Assam and West Bengal went to the Raj Bhavan. “At the invitation of Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Honorable Governor of West Bengal – Visit Darjeeling for a day. Look forward to experiencing the equanimity and uniqueness of life in Darjeeling (sic), a land famous for its tea,” tweeted Sarma .
Later, Mamta spoke to the media outside the Raj Bhavan. “There was no political discussion. How can we speak about the presidential election when our parties are different? When asked whether the name of NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu had cropped up during Tete-e-Tete, he said.
“It is important to keep the communication channel open. There are many Assamese in Bengal and many Bengalis in Assam. So if ever needed, we should pick up the phone and talk. So it was a courtesy call.’
Read also: Why BJP, GNLF and TMC allies are boycotting the GJM Gorkhaland Territorial Administration elections
political implications
The GJM, led by Trinamool Congress ally Bimal Gurung, had opposed the GTA elections. Gurung went on hunger strike but failed to create any political wave. With Gurung’s popularity diminishingThe Trinamool is keen to put new players – Thapa and Edwards – in good humour, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP and its allies, including the GNLF, had also boycotted the GTA elections.
Launched less than a year ago, the BGPM won the GTA elections by winning 26 of the 45 seats and 45 per cent of the total vote share. For the first time in the GTA elections, the Trinamool Congress has won five seats with a vote share of 5 per cent. Hamro Party and Independent candidates registered 23 and 27 per cent vote share respectively.
But BJP is not watching silently. Along with Doval and Sarma’s double visits, the party and its ally GNLF are also working in Darjeeling. BJP MP Raju Bista told ThePrint, “Anit Thapa has been working for TMC since 2017 and probably even earlier. We have fought two elections since then – the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 assembly elections. TMC was not only defeated, but also defeated.
“TMC could not win even a single assembly seat in Darjeeling as people are aware of its discrimination, duplicity and hypocrisy towards the region and the people. The BJP, the only national party in Darjeeling, is concerned about the welfare of the people of the region.
However, the TMC claimed that Mamata always focused on Darjeeling. “Mamata Banerjee does not want to claim power in the hills. TMC does not want to fight with other hill parties to capture power. She wants to ensure that local parties that are emotionally attached to the Gorkha regime, while the Trinamool will cooperate,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told ThePrint.
“Mamata Banerjee’s sole aim is to revive the economy in the hills of West Bengal. Since her days in the Ministry of Railways, she has remained focused. When a leader could not go to Darjeeling due to violence, Mamta used to do it. He has restored democracy in Darjeeling and it has been proved today.
(Edited by Tony Rae)
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