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Journalism of Courage
HAVING won the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) polls earlier, Anit Thapa’s Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) Wednesday captured the Darjeeling Municipality through a trust vote, with help from the Trinamool Congress, formally anointing Thapa as the new leader of the Bengal Hills.
It was an upset win for the BGPM, with the councillors of the newly formed Hamro Party led by Ajoy Edwards, which had won the Darjeeling Municipality in February this year, staying away from the crucial floor test.
This allowed the BGPM’s 14 councillors and the Trinamool Congress’s two members to oust Hamro Party’s chairman, Ritesh Portel. The three councillors of the Bimal Gurung-led GJM (Gorkha Janmukti Morcha) also abstained. Earlier, six councillors of the Hamro Party had crossed over to the BGPM, while the TMC had extended it support.
The BGPM declared Dipen Thakur as the next chairman of the Darjeeling Municipality, and said it will form the new board soon.
The Hamro Party stated they will approach the Supreme Court over the issue.
“This is a victory of practical politics in the Hills. People want development and are tired of strikes and protests in the name of Gorkhaland. People chose us in the GTA polls. Now Hamro councillors have joined us. Today is a happy day for the people of the Hills,” Thapa told The Indian Express over the phone.
On allegations by Hamro of horse-trading, Thapa said: “In a democratic system, anyone can join us. Those who have joined us are for development. Losers will always say anything.”
Fearing trouble, the administration had slapped Section 144 in the Darjeeling town area and tightened security.
Speaking to mediapersons, Hamro leader Edwards said: “The entire proceeding is illegal, and that is why we abstained. We will approach the court. The people in the Hills are seeing what is happening, how money power is being used to cause defections.”
TMC MLA Gautam Deb said people were angry with the Hamro Party as it had “not done any work” after it won the municipality polls. “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants development in the Hills. That is why we extended support to the BGPM.”
BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh criticised the takeover of the municipality with the TMC’s help. “What is happening in Darjeeling is sad. People are suffering. The Trinamool is trying to grab power using middlemen,” Ghosh said.
On Tuesday, ahead of the trust vote, Edwards had announced a month-long ‘Gorkha Swabhiman Sangharsha’ in Darjeeling, calling it a movement to “restore democracy in the Hills”. GJM chief Bimal Gurung and TMC leader Binoy Tamang were present at the rally, and resolved to work with Edwards against “violation of democracy in the Hills” at common forums.
Tamang said in a statement that he was opposed to the TMC facilitating the capture of the municipality with the BGPM. “I have secluded myself from the TMC from today. I am ready to accept any disciplinary action the party imposes,” he said, further indicating that a new forum might be on the cards with him and Gurung and Edwards.
In February, out of a total of 32 seats in the Darjeeling Municipality, the Hamro Party had won 18, the BGPM 9, the GJM 3 and the TMC 2. Later, a BGPM councillor had resigned and contested the GTA polls.
Thapa’s party had won 27 of the 45 seats in the polls for the GTA – which is a semi-autonomous governing body for the Hills – held in June. Thapa had subsequently become the GTA chief.
Thapa claimed all he wanted was development of the Hills. “From 1986 to 2017, there was turmoil in the Hills in the name of Gorkhaland. I was there too. Then I realised that the protests are useless. Our party was floated in 2021 and we won the GTA polls. We sat with the state government and now want to usher in development. Peace prevails in the Hills and in this tourist season hotels are booked to capacity. This is what the people want,” he said.
