In Darjeeling, BJP may return to drawing board as Congress gets a Tamang booster

Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Tamang was initially with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) led by Bimal Gurung. As the GJM assistant general secretary from 2009 to 2017, he was the third in-command in the party after Gurung and Anit Thapa.

After the 2017 Gorkhaland statehood agitation, Tamang and Thapa walked out of Gurung’s camp and floated a rival faction of the GJM. While the Gurung faction enjoyed the support of the BJP, Tamang’s group aligned with the TMC, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

In 2017, Tamang was named the chairman of the board of administrators formed by the TMC government to run the GTA.

Later, Tamang and Thapa parted ways. Thapa formed his own party, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), which has been in power in the hills since last year, when it won the GTA election held after 23 years.

In 2019, Tamang had stepped down as the GTA chairman and unsuccessfully contested an Assembly bypoll as an Independent with the TMC’s support. In 2021, he joined the TMC, but left the party within a year.

Tamang has since veered towards Gurung-led GJM as well as Ajoy Edwards-headed Hamro Party, which won the Darjeeling civic polls last year. In 2022, Tamang contested and won a seat in the GTA election as an Independent.

After joining the Congress, Tamang slammed the BJP for allegedly making false promises to the people despite winning the Darjeeling parliamentary seat continuously since 2009.

“The BJP won from the hills by making false promises to the residents. The Congress has done a lot for the hills and north Bengal. There are also indications of a change in national politics. That is why I have decided to join the Congress and work for the people here. The time has come to have a permanent political solution for the people of the Darjeeling hills,” said Tamang.

He was referring to the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988, at the end of a two-year-long agitation, which administered the Darjeeling hills for 23 years with some autonomy. It was negotiated between the then Congress government at the Centre and the Subhash Ghisingh-led Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF).

Sources in the Congress said Tamang’s induction could rejuvenate the party rank and file in the Darjeeling hills, where it has always been weak and has not had a prominent face.

A senior Congress leader said, “People in the hills are fed up with the BJP. They have been let down. Binay Tamang has a deep connect with the people here. Therefore, we feel his induction will help the party get the support of the locals in upcoming elections.”

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is also the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, said, “His (Tamang’s) induction will make the Congress stronger in the hills. The Congress had earlier resolved the issues of the hills, and will continue doing so.”

Despite continuing to win the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat with the support of the GJM since 2009, the BJP has steered clear of the Gorkhaland demand so far.

In the wake of Tamang’s switch to the Congress fold, the BJP may have to rethink its strategy in the Darjeeling hills.

None of the three BJP MPs from Darjeeling till now – Jaswant Sinha in 2009, S S Ahluwalia in 2014 and sitting MP Raju Bista – have been from the hills. To counter Tamang, who still enjoys support of a section of the Gorkha community, the saffron party would now require a local face.

Reacting to the development, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, “We are not bothered by who is joining the Congress. The people of the hills are with us as it was clear from last elections. They will continue to support our party in upcoming elections.”

A senior TMC leader said, “It is too early to make any forecast regarding the Lok Sabha polls. People in Bengal have full faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The state government has done a lot of work for the people in Darjeeling hills.”