Former Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri on Thursday batted for the merger of the Darjeeling hills and Sikkim.
The leader, who was instrumental in creating a separate district of Kalimpong in 2017, and his supporters plastered posters in Kalimpong calling for the merger of the hills and the Himalayan state.
Darjeeling was handed over to the British by the royals of Sikkim in 1835.
“Looking at the present state of politics and the fact that people in politics have forgotten that the root of our politics lies in identity, I felt it pertinent to speak on the issue,” said Chhetri.
The former MLA has said it is clear that the BJP-led government isn't inclined to create Gorkhaland, a separate state.
“They (BJP) have won the election on the topic three consecutive times, but despite being in power, they are hesitant even to utter the word 'Gorkhaland',” said Chhetri.
In its 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto, the BJP had promised to find a “permanent political solution" for the hills.
“No one knows what the PPS means. It has only become a tool of a section of political leaders to come together to take on their rival (Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha) in the GTA,” said Chhetri.
The Kalimpong leader was of the opinion that the Bengal government, too, failed to devolve powers to the semi-autonomous bodies like the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and the GTA, which replaced the DGHC.
“People have stopped talking about our identity in politics,” said Chhetri, adding that he had specifically raised the issue on May 15 as the first political party of the Gorkhas in India, the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League, had been formed on this day in 1943.
Anit Thapa’s Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), which helms the GTA, is more focused on “development”.
The merger of Darjeeling and Sikkim has been debated for some time. Darjeeling-based parties, Gorkha Rashtriya Congress (GRC) and Sikkim-Darjeeling Ekikaran Manch, root for the merger.
However, there is a general perception that the people of Sikkim are not in favour of the state's merger with Darjeeling.
“This is just a narrative floated by the political leaders in Sikkim to stay in power,” countered Chhetri.
The former legislator said many people from Sikkim were in touch with him and expressed their support on the issue. “We will also go to Sikkim soon,” said Chhetri.
Observers believe Chhetri has probably sensed a leadership vacuum in Darjeeling.
“Chhetri is not raising the issue using the banner of the Jana Andolan Party (JAP) led by him. He seems to prefer to form a larger platform to create a bigger and diverse team,” said an observer.