Anit Thapa, the chief of Bharatiya Gorkha Prajantrik Morcha (BGPM) and chair of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), on Thursday reminded the Darjeeling constituency that attempts would be made to raise the demand for Gorkhaland ahead of panchayat elections.

Thapa, while addressing a gathering at Chengra in Mirik, said: “During this panchayat election, they (the Opposition in hills) will again talk about Gorkhaland."

The BGPM leader said that in the past Anit even elections to hill civic bodies were fought on the Gorkhaland issue.

In 2017, the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) coined the “Gorkhaland versus Bengal” narrative for the Darjeeling municipality election. Thapa, too, was part of the party in 2017.

“We have been fooled for long, since 1986, and attempts are still being made to fool us,” said Thapa. The Subash Ghisingh-led Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) started the Gorkhaland agitation in 1986 only to settle for an autonomous Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988.

The Gurung-led Morcha had started another phase of Gorkhaland agitation in 2007 but settled for Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in 2011.

“It was easy for leaders of yesteryears. They would simply raise the Gorkhaland issue and we would vote for them repeatedly in every election,” said Thapa.

Thapa, who is also the chief executive of the GTA, said the hills had lost out on many aspects over the past few decades.

“The leaders said they would get Gorkhaland and that would get water, roads, and employment. Neither did we get Gorkhaland nor water, road, employment,” said Thapa.

The statehood issue is an emotive one in the hills and is at the core of hill politics.

Thapa, who broke off with Gurung during the peak of Gorkhaland agitation in 2017, said on Thursday: “Gorkhaland should not be auctioned in the electoral market.”

The hill leader was also critical of the Centre and added that the hills received nothing despite electing the BJP three times from 2009 in the Lok Sabha elections.

“I have clearly stated I will work with the Bengal government and try to get as many facilities as possible for the region,” said Thapa, adding that earlier hill leaders did not want panchayat polls as they feared losing power.

Panchayat polls in Darjeeling hills are scheduled to take place after a gap of 23 years.

In 2000, panchayat elections to one-tier gram panchayat were held in Darjeeling despite provisions for a two-tier panchayat system.

Binay Tamang, who also parted ways with Gurung in 2017 and is now an elected GTA Sabha member, wrote on Thursday to the state election commission for three-tier panchayat polls. For a three-tier panchayat, the Constitution has to be amended.