Siliguri, June 19: The Congress leadership will launch a campaign to make people in the plains of Darjeeling district aware of the party’s stance on Gorkhaland.

The move comes after Union minister and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Priya Ranjan Das Munsi and his senior colleague Pranab Mukherjee said in Calcutta that the party was against formation of a separate state, but wanted more autonomy and financial powers for the DGHC.

After the all-party meeting at the Writers’ Buildings on Tuesday — where Das Munsi reiterated the party’s stance — the PCC chief met Congress leaders of Darjeeling to discuss the issue.

“In the meeting at the PCC office, Das Munshi instructed us to start campaigning to make people aware of our party’s stance and also disseminate the message of peace and amity,” said Shankar Malakar, the president of the Darjeeling district Congress Committee (plains), today. “We have decided to launch this campaign soon at the block level in the plains.”

The district Intuc leaders will print and distribute leaflets in different languages. “Other wings like the Youth Congress have also been entrusted with the responsibility of campaigning,” said Aloke Chakraborty, the president of the party’s labour wing in Darjeeling. “We will visit tea gardens, rural and urban areas to distribute the leaflets.”

Party insiders, however, consider the move for launching a campaign as a “damage control exercise.”

“The stance of Dawa Narbula, who is the Congress MP from the district and heads the party in the hills, is just opposite to what the PCC leaders have been saying,” one of them said. “Since the inception of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-led movement for a separate state, he and some other leaders have been openly supporting the demand.”

After Nakul Chhetri and Chabi Rai attended the “all-party meeting” called by the Morcha in Darjeeling on Tuesday, Das Munsi clarified: “They are self-styled leaders of the hills and in no way represent the Congress.”

Narbula, who stayed away, however, said the duo had attended the meeting to “observe the political development”. “It was essential to know what is happening in the hills, as we represent the Congress there. The high command is aware of our activities,” Narbula had said.