The West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury today urged the Hill people to ready a Charter of Demands for the development of Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Mr Chowdhury held a meeting with a section of Hill people in Kalimpong today and promised that he would table the Charter of Demand before the party and will keep trying to do something in the interests of the Hill people ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections.

Notably, former Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leader, Binoy Tamang, former Chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), today joined the Congress in Kalimpong. Interestingly, former MLA from Kalimpong, Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri was also present in the meeting today. Sources said a group of Hill people including intellectuals had invited Mr Chowdhury to discuss political issues to beat the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections in 2024.

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On the other hand, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) president Mann Ghishing has been asked by the BJP leadership to come to Delhi soon. GNLF sources said Mann Ghising would meet the Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda in New Delhi.

According to the Hill-based political observers, regional political leaders may join the Congress before the forthcoming LS polls in Darjeeling. Mr Tamang, joining the Congress today, came down heavily on the BJP and claimed that it has done nothing except make false promises in the last three terms.

“Now the time has come to change,” he added. Addressing the meeting, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: “This is first time I got the opportunity to come here to discuss the issues politically. If you the people here are united, take some important decisions as well as steps in the interests of the Hills and you must hand it over to me, I will table it before my party.” “Ready a Charter of Demand.

I promise I will keep trying to do something after discussing the matter with the party,” Mr Chowdhury said. “We are not in power in West Bengal and even in Delhi. But when a large section of people and leaders belonging to different political parties have united to dislodge Narendra Modi from power, we can welcome them to support our party,” Mr Chowdhury said, adding: “The BJP has given false promises to win the Darjeeling seat. After election results the Hill people have been running after the BJP leaders in Delhi but no promise has been fulfilled.

What is the Permanent Political Solution and where has it been implemented? Only Mr Modi and his associates know about Permanent Political Solution but common people are unaware about it. Now the BJP has made Ram and Ram Temple an electoral product.” “We know the Hill people have been demanding Gorkhaland since many days. As the GNLF chief the late Subash Ghising had demanded that the Hill should come under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, the UPA government recognised his demand.

It was not implemented in the end but it was true the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) and the GTA were set up here when the Congress was in power in the Centre,” Mr Chowdhury said. The Congress leader said Darjeeling is an identity of West Bengal. “People know from Digha to Darjeeling that is from the sea to the Hills is West Bengal,” Mr Chowdhury said, adding, “This region is also important strategically as Nathu La, Doklam and Chicken Neck are located close to Siliguri.”