Kolkata/ Darjeeling: The process of finding a 'permanent political solution' for the Darjeeling Hills has begun and it will be achieved in the next five years, BJP MP Raju Bista said.
In an interview to PTI, Bista said the solution would be within the ambit of the Constitution, but did not specify if it meant a separate state.
"It is our commitment to finding a permanent political solution to the issues of the Darjeeling Hills. We had said this in 2019 in our manifesto, and the process in this regard has already begun through talks with the Union Home Ministry. In the next five years, a permanent political solution for Hills, Terai, and Dooars will be achieved," he said.
Bista, who has been re-nominated by his party from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal, said the crisis in the Hills is more about identity.
"I don't want to give any breaking news. But the solution is more about the identity of the people living here. It is about the issue of the identity of Gorkhas and other communities living here," he said.
The Darjeeling Hills, known for its tea, has witnessed bouts of violence since the '80s over the demand for a separate state of 'Gorkhaland'. The most recent one happened in 2017 and lasted 104 days, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
Besides the Gorkhas, the other communities who live here are Lepchas, Sherpas and Bhutias.
BJP has been winning the Darjeeling seat since 2009, but Bista is the first MP to be repeated by the party. Jaswant Singh who won in 2009, and SS Ahluwalia who got elected in 2014 had single tenures from here.
Besides statehood, implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for autonomy and self-governance, has also been a major poll plank in the Hills.
Bista, who is a Gorkha from Manipur, is confident about his victory with the Gorkha National Liberation Front and the Bimal Gurung faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha extending support to him.
"The party's decision to repeat me from the Hills proves that it is serious about a permanent political solution," he said.
Bista said the commencement of talks with the Union Home Ministry for a solution due to his 'consistent efforts' was his biggest achievement as an MP.
He stressed that though the demand for 'Gorkhaland' was the dominant poll issue in the Hills, this time, corruption allegedly perpetrated by TMC leaders in the state has also become important.
On the demand raised by a section of BJP MPs and MLAs for a Union Territory of 'North Bengal', he said, "I can only talk about a permanent political solution in the Hills."
Unlike the previous elections, it won't be a free run for the BJP this time in the Darjeeling seat as the TMC has strengthened its organisation in the area over the last few years and fielded Gopal Lama -- a Gorkha candidate backed by the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), which runs the semi-autonomous Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) that governs the Hills.
Also, the TMC performed well in last year's civic body polls in Siliguri, the largest city in the region which is a part of the Darjeeling constituency. The BJP had won the Siliguri assembly seat in the 2021 elections.
Further, the Congress-Left alliance has fielded Munish Tamang who helmed the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisang. It also managed to get the support of the Hamro Party, which is known for its performance in the civic body polls in the Hills.
Bista, however, rejected the challenges his opposition was mounting.
"The Congress got 65,000 votes last time, this time, it will decrease. On the other side, though the TMC candidate is contesting on a TMC ticket, everybody knows that he is a BGPM candidate. So there is confusion at the grassroots level. Plus, TMC's electoral track record in the Hills is very poor," he claimed.
The most formidable challenge that Bista is facing is BJP's Kurseong MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma contesting as an Independent as the party 'did not field a bhumiputra' or son of the soil.
"He thinks he is above the party. It was due to the BJP that he became an MLA. Now, he is trying to sabotage the prospects of the party as he didn't get a ticket. The people of the Hills are with BJP, and I am confident of winning by a greater margin," Bista said, referring to his over 4 lakh margin in the 2019 elections.
On the opposition calling him an 'outsider', he said, "My wife is from Siliguri. I have been with the people of the Hills through all these years. So how can I be an outsider? Those who can't prick holes in the development works that I have done are raising a non-issue."
Darjeeling will vote in the second phase on April 26.
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