The Chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Board of Administrators, Binoy Tamang, who is also the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leader, on Thursday said Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia should seek forgiveness from the people and resign from his post before he thinks of going to the Hills.

“We have heard that Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia will be visiting his parliamentary area and will be inaugurating a Passport Seva Kendra in Siliguri on the 17th of this month. However, during the time of need, he sat in Delhi and watched the events unfold in the Hills. As such, he has lost the moral right to visit the Hills.

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If he has a little bit of shame left on him, we advice him to return to Delhi from Siliguri itself,” Mr Tamang said in a press release he issued on Thursday. Mr Tamang also branded Mr ahluwalia a “tourist MP.”

The press release also said that Mr Ahluwalia, instead of opening the Passport Seva Kendra, should visit his constituency and start various projects to solve the unemployment problems, as the passport centre “will not benefit the 80 percent exploited people here.” “He became the MP only after the Hill people voted for him, while he later on went to become the drinking water and health department minister.

However, it is in his area that there is an acute problem of drinking water. His area also has very poor health facilities,” said Mr Tamang, adding that Mr Ahluwlaia has not done a “single thing” for his area on these two issues.

“The people know what kind of role he played and work he did for a central university in the hills, or the issue of tribal status for 11 different communities and for a solution to the Hill problem. Looking at him remaining inactive, the people in the Hills have no hopes from him now. Instead of visiting his parliamentary area, we demand he step down as the MP,” he said.

The release added that leaders in the Hills had time and again asked Mr Ahluwalia to visit them during the recent Gorkhaland agitation, “but he only chose to be a union minister and see what is happening from Delhi.” “Leave alone coming to the hills, he also did not speak even a word for the people here.

If he wants to come to the Hills, he should apologise to the people in the Hills and step down. Only after this, the people will allow him to enter Hills, or else, he will face stiff objection instead of a warm welcome,” Mr Tamang said.