The Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front (IGJF), the principal Opposition force at the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Sabha, on Friday said it would tie up with Darjeeling parties which were not aligned with “national parties” in the upcoming Assembly elections in a bid to strengthen
regionalism.
Most Darjeeling-based political parties are either with the BJP or the Trinamool
Congress.
“We will join hands with parties which distance themselves from national parties like the BJP, TMC and the Congress so that we can strengthen regionalism,” Ajoy Edwards, the chief convener of the IGJF, told The Telegraph.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Edwards, who was then heading the Hamro Party, which he later dissolved to form the IGJF, had aligned with the Congress.
“It is time to strengthen regionalism during the pre-poll period. Post-poll, it is about diplomacy. If we are not tied to any political party, we can work independently for the benefit of our people based on issues,”
said Edwards.
The IGJF leader, who is also an elected GTA Sabha member, said that demands like minimum wages for tea garden workers and land rights were achievable.
Edwards’s stand gains importance at a time when there are talks of a possible alignment between Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the IGJF in the Assembly elections.
The Morcha is currently an ally of the BJP.
“I have not met Bimal Gurung to discuss the issue. Other leaders from our party are, however, exploring all possibilities,” said Edwards.
The need to strengthen regional parties is also a talking point in the Darjeeling hills.
Edwards’s Hamro Party had won the Darjeeling municipality within three months of its formation in 2022. However, the party lost power after many councillors defected to Anit Thapa-led Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM).
The BGPM, an ally of Trinamool, runs the GTA and has the Kalimpong Assembly seat. The Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat and the Darjeeling and Kurseong Assembly seats are with the BJP.
Thapa’s party has also been accusing the BJP of weakening regionalism in the Darjeeling politics.