BJP Darjeeling candidate Raju Bista on Gorkhaland: ‘We are close to resolving this issue and the process has started’

Q: For the first time in 15 years, the BJP has renominated a sitting MP in Darjeeling. How confident are you about winning this election?

Raju Bista: I am indebted to the people in north Bengal hills who have reposed their faith in me once again. The central leadership has given me another opportunity in Darjeeling. Last time, I won the election by a margin of over 4.13 lakh votes. This time the margin of votes will increase as the Centre under the leadership of PM Modi has done a lot of development.

Q: For the first time we have seen that other hill parties have also aligned with national parties (Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha or BGPM with the TMC and the Hamro Party with the INDIA bloc). Do you fear a division of Gorkha votes in Darjeeling?

Raju Bista: In the past few decades, Darjeeling has produced two tigers. One was Subhas Ghisingh (founder of the Gorkha National Liberation Front, which spearheaded the Gorkhaland movement in the 1980s), whose party is an ally of the BJP in the hills. The other is Bimal Gurung (Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president who led the 2017 Gorkhaland movement), who is also with our party. The parties that are with the TMC and the Congress have betrayed the Gorkha community. Those who had helped break the 2017 Gorkhaland movement are now with the TMC. That is why people are now with the BJP and its allies that want to work together.

Q: The Gorkhaland demand is a big issue in Darjeeling. The people have waited for a long time for a permanent political solution. Will the BJP meet demand this time?

Raju Bista: It is a political demand and will require a political solution. We have said the country’s Constitution is vast and under its provisions the Gorkhas will get justice. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this one month ago when he addressed a public meeting in north Bengal. Our government has resolved complex issues such as Article 370 and Ram Mandir. We are close to resolving this issue as well and the process has started. We are progressing fast in this direction.

Q: TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and her party’s number two have been missing in action on Darjeeling hills. Will it help the BJP?

Raju Bista: They don’t want to come here as they will get zero votes if they do so. They have always let the people down. They hatched a conspiracy to divide the Gorkha community by way of creating either the GTA (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration) or various welfare boards. Their conspiracy led Gorkhas to fight among themselves. People don’t want to see such politics anymore.

The people of north Bengal do not want to listen to Mamata Banerjee’s promises anymore. The more she comes here, the more her party will lose votes. The TMC is knee-deep in corruption. Their leaders have amassed funds meant for the implementation of central schemes in the state. Their ally in the hills, the BGPM, also indulged in corruption while running the GTA.

Q: How challenging is this Lok Sabha election going to be?

Raju Bista: Every election has its challenges. The TMC has no hope in Darjeeling. The TMC candidate, Gopal Lama, is a decent man. But the party has no presence in the hills. You won’t find a single TMC flag here. No matter how much Mamata Banerjee tries, she will not win seats in north Bengal. Over Rs 20,000-crore revenue is generated from north Bengal. In return the TMC allocates only a Rs 800-crore budget for this region. Out of this, only Rs 400 crore is spent. People in this region have been deprived of real development and the ruling party in Bengal has betrayed their trust.