Gurung at Darjeeling’s Chowrastha. (Suman Tamang)

Darjeeling, May 2: The president of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Bimal Gurung, today called upon the hill people to show restraint and not fall into the trap laid by the CPM to “destabilise” the movement for a separate state.

“The DYFI (the CPM’s youth wing) cadres have attacked our members …in Siliguri. We must not get excited. We must not act as we did in 1986 (Gorkhaland agitation). We must win this round by using our brains,” Gurung said.

“When I heard about the incident, I, too, was boiling with anger. But I have controlled it. Asok Bhattacharya and his CPM and DYFI people are trying to destabilise our movement but we will not fall into their trap.”

However, the Morcha leader said his party would continue with its economic blockade and other programmes to needle the Bengal government.

“We will not pay our taxes. If the electricity department disconnects our lines, we will stop work at the hydel projects in the hills. If we have to live in candle-lights, so will the rest of the state. But we must not go for any direct confrontation. Once we change our number plates to GL (for Gorkhaland), we will use it in the hills. When we reach Siliguri, we will change it back to the original number plates.”

The Morcha chief criticised the administration for its one-sided policy, but added that his party would continue to apply for permission to hold a rally in Siliguri.

“Let us see for how long they deny us the permission or how many people they arrest. The day we hold a rally in Siliguri, it will mark the end of Asok Bhattacharya’s political career. He has stopped acting like a minister and is simply going crazy,” said Gurung.

Bhattacharya won his Assembly seat from Siliguri.

The Morcha has announced that while all government offices would continue to remain closed from May 5, courts across the hills would be allowed to function. All tourists facilities, except the toy train, have been left out of the bandh’s purview.