The CPRM’s May Day rally in Darjeeling on Saturday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, May 2: The Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) has used its May Day rally to announce the decision to sever its ties with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and to send a message across the hills that only it can stand up to Bimal Gurung’s party.

Nearly 4,000 workers of the CPRM took out a rally in Darjeeling yesterday and unveiled its voluntary force, the Swyam Sevak Bahini, which is being seen as a challenge to the Morcha’s Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP).

“We had been unconditionally supporting the Morcha for the past three years to attain Gorkhaland but they only tried to derail our agitation and attack our members. Bimal is acting as if he is the son-in-law of the state government. Today, we announce our decision to sever all ties with them (Morcha),” said R.B. Rai, the general secretary of the CPRM.

The rally started from the Darjeeling railway station around 11.30am, an hour after the Morcha-affiliated Janmukti United Labour Welfare Organisation had taken out its May Day procession from the same spot. Although members of the GLP and the Bahini were on the streets to control the rallies, there was no confrontation by either side.

Sources in the CPRM said the party was drawing a pool of about 1,000 people for the Bahini, though only 200 of them, wearing red caps, had been brought here yesterday. The party, however, remained tight-lipped about the training and other activities of the Bahini.

While the supporters of the Morcha went up to Chowrastha to attend the public meeting addressed by the general secretary, Roshan Giri, the CPRM cadres assembled at Chowk Bazar.

Rai, who is also a former Darjeeling MP, surprised many when he openly came out against the Morcha. In the past, the CPRM had drawn flak from different quarters for its soft approach towards the predominant party in the hills, whether it was the GNLF or the Morcha. Rai had even supported the Sixth Schedule status mooted by the GNLF but later provided unconditional support to the Morcha.

But the picture was different yesterday. “We are not promising Gorkhaland before next May Day. However, people must support us,” said Rai, ridiculing Gurung’s earlier statement that he would achieve the separate state by March 10, 2010.

“They seem to have forgotten Gorkhaland and are now settling for an interim set-up. Gurung is seen carrying lakhs of rupees while attending public meetings and is throwing money everywhere. Agitation is not about money and the CPRM has no funds,” said Rai.

The CPRM also demanded the resignation of Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh. “We had also supported Jaswant Singh but now we want his resignation,” said Rai.

The CPRM’s May Day meeting was attended by leaders of all parties, including the ABGL, BJP, Sikkim National Front and the Gorkha Rastriya Congress.

Observers believe the May Day celebrations gave the CPRM an opportunity to show that it was the sole force that could take on the Morcha in the hills.

The ABGL president, Madan Tamang, said from the very beginning, he had no faith in Gurung, while Dawa Sherpa, the state secretary of the BJP, accused the Morcha of forgetting the issue of Gorkhaland.

At the Morcha’s May Day meeting, Roshan Giri declared that the party would never abandon the Gorkhaland agitation and accused “the opposition of hatching a conspiracy to defame the Morcha”.