Jan Andolan Party (JAP) leader and councillor of Ward-4 in the Kalimpong Municipality, GOC Phippon, on Monday swore allegiance to the Binoy Tamang-Anit Thapa faction of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM).

Mr Phippon had won the last civic elections in a JAP ticket. In a meeting held at the Delo Tourist Lodge here, Mr Phippon held the Morcha’s flag and said, “JAP talked about development first, but I don’t know what happened about development now.

We have to practice ward-development and since that did npt happen with JAP, I decided to work with Morcha for further development.” The coordinator of the Kalimpong branch of the GJMM, Sanchabir Subba, presented him the party flag and welcomed him to the party fold. “A uniform vision is important to develop a place as a whole. The Municipality and the GTA should have a similar ideology to develop a place.

Therefore, we have decided that we will develop our place by working together,” Mr Phippon said. Anit Thapa, also the Vicechairman of the GTA, later said they have come here to develop the place and he, as the vice-chairman, welcomes anybody who joins their party. “Kalimpong is doing well when it comes to strengthening the party organization.

We could see problems of groupism earlier, but I think that is also getting better now,” Mr Thapa claimed. Asked to comment on the development, JAP president Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri he said that it was JAP which introduced Mr Phippon to the people. “All those who have left and are leaving the party had joined JAP with vested interests.

However, these defections won’t make a difference to the party. It will make us sad, but we can’t stop them. They had initially come for the sake of a separate state.

Had they joined a party that has been demanding Gorkhaland, that would have been fine, but it is only JAP which is consistent about the demand. They have joined a party which has shadowed Gorkhaland with the idea of development,” Dr Chettri said.

The Morcha district committee also claimed that around 40 JAP supporters (houses) joined the GJMM on Monday. “We had expectations that Phippon Sir would do something for the ward, but unfortunately nothing happened. I hope he does something now. The street lights should be installed in Ward 4 first,” said a resident of he Ward, who did not want to be named.