In Kurseong, while the shutdown continues to hold sway, public transport has started plying and “syndicates” of transport groups have given the go-ahead to ferry passengers to and fro between Kurseong-Kalimpong and Kurseong-Darjeeling routes and also within the district.
With the September 12 meeting between the state government and the Hill parties on the Gorkhaland stalemate approaching, hectic activity is underway in the Hills of Darjeeling. While the Bimal Gurung faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) continues to impose the indefinite strike in the Hills, leaders of other parties have begun holding meetings to discuss the “merits and demerits” of continuing the bandh, which is now in its third month.
In Kurseong, while the shutdown continues to hold sway, public transport has started plying and “syndicates” of transport groups have given the go-ahead to ferry passengers to and fro between Kurseong-Kalimpong and Kurseong-Darjeeling routes and also within the district.
Guarded by state policemen and paramilitary forces, the State Bank of India opened in Kurseong Saturday for the first time in over two months. While offices, businesses and shops continued to remain shut, locals said shops in Kurseong generally open in the evenings.
Anit Thapa, who has been expelled by the GJM, has been holding public meetings every day in Kurseong to discuss the “merits” of continuing the strike. Along with Thapa, the GJM had also expelled its spokesperson Binay Tamang, after he announced the suspension of the strike for 12 days — till September 12 — following a meeting between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Hill parties in Kolkata on August 29.
Thapa on Friday maintained that he and Tamang were still a part of the GJM. “In Kurseong, we have been taking out rallies everyday. There has been a point of departure for both of us from Bimal Gurung in the sense that we are against a violent agitation. We, like every other Gorkha, are fighting for Gorkhaland and that is our ultimate aim. Nevertheless, we believe that this can be achieved only through dialogue,” he said.
Thapa added that he has held several meetings over the last few days with his constituents. “Emotions are running high. People have become wary of the strike. The only reason they are continuing is because of the emotions attached to Gorkhaland, and because of the fear of certain sections of GJM. We have been explaining to them the merits and the demerits of the strike,” he said.
“Are we really and truly benefitting from this indefinite strike? Transportation has resumed but traders are reluctant to resume work. Everyone is waiting for the September 12 meeting… then maybe, they will be more amenable to lifting the strike. Moreover, with Dusshera approaching, nobody wants this strike to continue,” he added. Thapa said that while Darjeeling runs on tourism, Kurseong’s economy is dependent on tea gardens and schools, “and till these open, traders have told us that there is no point in resuming their business”.
In Kalimpong, Jan Andolan Party youth wing president Pankaj Chhetri said the shutdown continues to be complete in the district. “We have held several meetings with traders and schools. We have especially exhorted the school authorities to resume operations, but they are afraid. Unlike Kurseong and some other parts of Darjeeling district where vehicular movement has resumed, that is not the case in Kalimpong. But we have left the decision to the people — when they decide they are comfortable lifting the strike, we will support them,” he added.
Much hinges on the meeting at Uttarkanya in north Bengal on Tuesday. Not only will it be the second bipartite meeting between the state government and the Hill parties, it will also mark 90 days of the indefinite strike. “There is a rumour in Kurseong that after 90 days, President’s Rule will be imposed. Whether it happens or not, people think that after 90 days, there will be some kind of a resolution,” said Thapa.
While leaders of all Hill parties claimed that they will attend the meeting, including the Gurung faction, they are yet to receive formal invitations from the state government. Thapa said that Tamang has received indication from the government that they will be invited to the meeting. “We will go. We are going to press the chief minister to initiate a tripartite dialogue, as that is the only solution. How can the Gurung faction be called? There are so many police cases against them. There is no such case against me and Binay Tamang. Officially, the state will have no problems meeting us,” he added.
JAP leaders, too, said they will attend the meeting. Gurung’s GJM, meanwhile, is more in disarray. Despite their announcement that they will attend the meeting, there is no certainty whether Mamata will invite them. However, some in the camp have decided to attend even without an invitation. “I have decided to attend the meeting in my personal capacity as the Kurseong MLA,” said Rohit Sharma, who had attended Gurung’s meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.
