Darjeeling, Feb. 9: After throwing its weight behind the SUCI bandh last month that turned out to be success, the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) has slammed COI(ML) for calling a bandh tomorrow, maintaining that strikes in pocket areas would not help the solve the garden woes.

The COI(ML), an umbrella organisation of Naxalite groups, has called a 12-hour strike in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri to protest against the deteriorating condition of the tea gardens and the lack of government initiative to hammer out a solution to break the logjam.

Party spokesman D.S. Bomzom said: “It is time to think of the how to revive the ailing tea gardens, which is affecting the people of the Dooars, Terai and the hills. A united movement is the need of the hour. Such regional bandhs will not help bring about any changes.”

“The issue needs serious thinking and a joint effort on all fronts,” said Bomzon, adding that the party had not heard anything from the COI(ML) about supporting the bandh. Bomzon also criticised the COI(ML) for going it alone on the issue without bothering to rally other parties.

It was expected that the Naxalite outfit would seek support from the parties like SUCI and particularly the CPRM, which is the largest Opposition party in the hills.

The first two have a feeble presence in Darjeeling and are largely considered plain-centric parties. Analysts feel the bandh will not have an impact here since none of the hill parties is supporting the strike.

With the garden economy on the skids, the CPRM’s trade wing Darjeeling Terai Dooars Chai Kaman Mazdoor Union has already held meetings in gardens like Chota Pubong and Pulungdung to protest against the “management’s high-handedness which resulted in the closure of the garden in December”.

The party’s frontal youth organisation, the Democratic Revolutionary Youth Front (DRYF) has decided to hold a two-day meet at Champasari in Siliguri on February 15 and 16 to strengthen its base in the plains where it has a negligible presence.

The move has come in for praise from the central committee members.

The focus, this year, is to strengthen the party’s organisational base.

The CPRM has declared 2003 as “Sangatha Barsha”. Party leaders said plans were being chalked accordingly.