Shanta Chhetri’s house in Kurseong. Picture by Vivek Singh

Darjeeling, July 31: Shanta Chhetri today said she was ready to give up her post as demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha if the other elected representatives from the hills followed suit.

The MLA from Kurseong resigned from Subash Ghisingh’s party on Saturday following the spate of violence across the hills soon after Morcha member Pramila Sharma was killed by a bullet allegedly fired from the house of a GNLF leader a day before.

“My house was ghearoed by the Kurseong’s Morcha unit last evening and they demanded that I resign from the MLA’s post for the cause of Gorkhaland. I am willing to do it if the other elected representatives, including the municipality councillors, put in their papers for the cause of statehood,” Chhetri said over the phone from Calcutta today.

I have never opposed the demand for Gorkhaland. I feel that I am being singled out and targeted. No one is demanding the resignation of other elected members, including the Darjeeling MP, the two MLAs (from Darjeeling and Kalimpong) and also the elected members of the four (Darjeeling, Kurseong, Mirk and Kalimpong) hill municipalities, for Gorkhaland,” she said.

Observers believe that Pranay Rai and Goulan Lepcha, the MLAs from Darjeeling and Kalimpong respectively, have managed to tide over the Morcha wrath largely because of their decision to disassociate themselves from the GNLF early this year.

Chhetri, on the other hand, resigned only last week. All the three hill MLAs had won the Assembly elections on GNLF tickets.

While the other two MLAs have been allowed to visit the Darjeeling hills — the same holds true for Congress MP Dawa Narbula — Chhetri has been largely confined to Calcutta ever since the Morcha started the agitation for Gorkhaland.

In the past six months, Chhetri has been able to visit her hometown only once.

The MLA also had to postpone her son’s wedding because of the political situation in the hills.

When asked about the logic behind asking only the Kurseong MLA to resign, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri refused comment.