The Gorkha Rashtriya Congress has intensified its campaign for the Lok Sabha elections across the Darjeeling hills. On Sunday, GRC supporters distributed leaflets in Kurseong promoting the party’s sole election agenda of a Darjeeling-Sikkim merger.

GRC president Nima Lama (R) talking to reporters in Kurseong on Sunday.
GRC president Nima Lama (R) talking to reporters
 in Kurseong on Sunday.
GRC president Nima Lama, party candidate for the Darjeeling seat, said it has been several decades since the people of the hills have raised the demand for statehood. However, the state government has always managed to snub such demands by offering autonomous setups, which are totally unacceptable alternatives, he said.

Talking to reporters here on Sunday, the GRC president said, “Now the people have to knock at the right doors and also make up their minds to vote for GRC to achieve a Sikkim-Darjeeling merger.”

Lama said the GRC has started its election campaigning by issuing leaflets that appeal for votes in support of a Sikkim-Darjeeling merger. He also said the party has urged all communities of the hills to pursue their demand for statehood through the GRC and free themselves from the divisive policies of the state government. The leaflet highlights a number of points related to the party’s stand about Darjeeling being an integral part of Sikkim and never a part of Bengal, added Lama.

The GRC chief also claimed the Centre is in no mood to entertain the demand for a separate state, but it has supported the GRC’s idea of a Sikkim-Darjeeling merger and also sought public feedback on the issue. Lama also insisted the GRC’s proposal is being supported by leaders at the Centre as it seeks unification and not separation.

Source:EOI

Kurseong, 9 March: Gorkha Rastriya Congress (GRC) has started campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections by issuing a leaflet that ends with a quote by Mahatma Gandhi —‘Everyone makes mistakes, but only fools keep repeating them.’

GRC President and its poll candidate Nima Lama said that for the past several decades, the people in the Hills have been demanding and agitating for a separate state of Gorkhaland, but that all the time, the Hills have been given with autonomous bodies.

GRC in poll fray with Sikkim-Darj merger issue
GRC in poll fray with Sikkim-Darj merger issue
According to him, people now need to “knock at the right door” and accordingly make up their minds to vote in favour of Sikkim-Darjeeling merger.

The GRC leadership today met media persons in Kurseong, where they issued the leaflet that appeals to people to vote for GRC candidate Mr Lama and for the cause of Sikkim-Darjeeling merger.

Talking to reporters, the GRC president said the party has appealed to all the communities living in the Hills to vote for the party for their upliftment and against the state government’s “divisive policies.”

He said the leaflet carries several information related to their demand, most importantly the one that says that Darjeeling is an integral part of Sikkim and that it was never a part of Bengal.

He further claimed that the central leadership in Delhi does not even want to hear the Gorkhaland. He claimed that the Centre has instead supported the GRC demand and for the merger of Darjeeling with Sikkim and that it has even asked for a public mandate on the matter in the Hills.

He added that their demand has been positively considered by the central leadership as their demand is for unification and it does not have to do with separatism.
Another GRC leader Amar Laksum said his party has lso unveiled a CD that contains three songs related to the Darjeeling-Sikkim merger.
National level parties have not yet uttered anything about their stance on Darjeeling constituency although the next Lok Sabha polls are approaching quickly. However, regional parties and apolitical organisations have announced their candidates’ names and have even begun campaigning.
SIKKIM-DARJEELING UNIFICATION AGENDA
Darjeeling and the Dooars returned to Sikkim - GRC
If Dr. Mahendra P Lama has already announced he will contest as an independent candidate and has formed an apolitical platform called Darjeeling Dooars United Development Foundation to further his campaign, the Gorkha Rashtriya Congress too has joined the race.

GRC leaders, who have been visiting various places to gather support, today reached Kalimpong and held a press conference to disclose their poll agenda. The regional party that was formed in 2004 has not yet contested in any elections, but its objective is to showcase mass support, and has entered the election arena with a single-point agenda of ‘Sikkim-Darjeeling unification’.

Speaking to media persons, GRC president and LS candidate Nima Lama said although the Centre is positive on the unification issue, it has sought for the people’s mandate and hence the party has decided to fight the elections. “We have never participated in elections since our party’s formation. We, in fact will never contest elections within West Bengal, although we may do so from Sikkim,” Lama observed and added, “When our representatives met government officials, they assured positive action would be taken if we show them mass support. Therefore, we are contesting this election to prove this.”

Stressing that historically Darjeeling and the Dooars were never a part of Bengal, the GRC president said, “The Sikkim government must speak up. We have been demanding the return of these areas to Sikkim. These lands were merely leased out to the British by Sikkim.”

GRC leader Pravakar Blone hailed the agenda of Sikkim-Darjeeling unification as a powerful weapon in the struggle from separation from Bengal. He said, “We are not putting forward a LS candidate, but we are placing an agenda before the people who aspire for freedom from Bengal. Let the people do what they consider is the best.”

Urging the Sikkimese people not to hold pessimistic views towards their agenda, Blone said, “No one has tried to communicate the issue of unification to the Sikkim government. Questions such as what if Sikkim denies unification are being raised but that is an internal matter. The primary issue is freedom from Bengal. We know even if leaders oppose unification, the people of Sikkim will offer open arms.”

Source:EOI

The Gorkha Rashtriya Congress, (GRC), president, Nima Lama said that with the frequent formation of autonomous bodies the hill people must now understand and be aware that except for the Sikkim-Darjeeling merger option there is no other solution of separation from Bengal.

Talking to the reporters, Lama who is also the GRC candidate for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency, said now the hill people must understand that besides the merger there is no other option which is best for the hills people to form a separate state. He said that the Darjeeling people have been demanding separation from Bengal, since a long time in the name of a separate state of Gorkhaland.

He further added thousands of people have sacrificed their lives during the GNLF led bloody Gorkhaland agitation in 1986 but instead of a separate state, an autonomous body was formed in Darjeeling hills, hinting towards the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, (DGHC).  “Later, after two decades, once again, we came forward supporting the GJM led Gorkhaland agitation. However, we didn’t achieve Gorkhaland but an autonomous body again and this time only the name has changed from Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council to Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, (GTA).”

Lama further claimed that the Central leadership in Delhi does not even want to hear the demand of a separate state of Gorkhaland; hence, it can be presumed it is difficult to achieve Gorkhaland. He said that recently a team of GRC had met the Home Minister, where the central leadership supported their merger demand and to make it a reality even asked for public mandate in the Hills. “Thus, now the question of separation state totally remains with us and the time is ripe for the masses to come forward in support of a Sikkim-Darjeeling merger and finally make our dream a reality by showing that the public mandate is for merger,” he added.