Black flags greet BJP team in Hills

DARJEELING: A fresh war of words has started in the Hills between the state BJP and stakeholders close to the state government within a week after the 104-day strike was lifted in the region on September 27.This has left the residents confused over the future course of their statehood demand.It reached a flashpoint in Kalimpong on Wednesday when state BJP president Dilip Ghosh and his team was greeted with black flags at Dumber Chowk with Harka Bahadur Chhetri's Jan Andolan Party (JAP) activists demonstrating with “Go back team BJP“ posters.Some others, who claimed to be non-political, agitated in front of the Marwari Bhawan at Kalimpong, where Ghosh was addressing a party gathering. Their anger was directed at Union minister and Darjeeling MP S S Ahluwalia, who gave the Hills a miss even on Wednesday .Posters were also put up in Darjeeling's Chowk Bazar, lambasting the Darjeeling MP for being indifferent towards the Hills.The state BJP president, however, blamed the state government for coming in the way of the tripartite talks Union home minister Rajnath Singh had promised to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung. In a bid to whip up sentiments in the Hills, Ghosh threw his weight behind UAPA-accused Gurung, saying the state government was targeting Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders.“Why is the state government slapping charges on Bimal Gurung and his men and keeping silent on the Jamiat forces and Rohingyas despite having intelligence inputs?“ Ghosh said.State tourism minister and Trinamool leader Gautam Deb held that Dilip Ghosh's party was stoking fire in the Hills by backing the absconding GJM president. “It seems that BJP is out to take away Darjeeling from Bengal,“ Deb said.Later, addressing a gathering at Marwari Bhawan at 10th Mile, the state BJP president said: “BJP has to take a pan-India view as far as issues relating to Gorkhas are concerned.If Gorkhaland is created, it will only be for 15 lakh Gorkhas of the Hills. But what about the 1.5 crore across the country?Will they come and stay here?Is it practical?“ JAP president Harka Bahadur Chhetri took the centre stage in the Kalimpong agitation, calling the BJP team's visit “inauspicious“ for the Hills.“Where were these men when people were suffering in the Hills? The Darjeeling MP and his party didn't utter a single word when pro-Gorkhaland activists laid down their lives.Our MP promised us to support the Gorkhaland demand in 2014,“ Chhetri said.The state BJP president, however, ignored the protests.Ghosh only took on rebel GJM leader and GTA chairman Binay Tamang, who told the other day that the BJP team would face public protests if they don't come clear on the Gorkhaland demand. “He (Binay Tamang) has backstabbed the Hills agitation. He is sold out to Mamata Banerjee government,“ Ghosh said. Tamand in response said: “Our old leader (read Bimal Gurung) asked people to welcome the BJP team but they did not.We will only talk with the BJP leaders if the agenda is on Gorkhaland.“