BJP washes off hands from Gorkhaland demand
Darjeeling: The BJP did a sudden volte-face declaring that there is a huge difference between emotion and reality and went as far as comparing the demand of Gorkhaland to a fruitless wild tuber. The statement comes at a time when the West Bengal assembly election is just around the corner in 2021.
Sagar Pokhrel, the President of the youth wing of BJP, Darjeeling district committee (Hills,) on Thursday washing his hands off Gorkhaland, stated: "One thing is for sure only the Union Government has the power to carve out Gorkhaland from West Bengal. Whichever party comes to power in the Centre will not want to lose the 42 assembly seats of West Bengal by supporting the formation of Gorkhaland. No party in West Bengal or at the Centre will side with the Gorkhaland demand. This is the truth and this is what we have to realize"
He stated that BJP is the largest political outfit of the world and the most powerful party of the country but this party too will not stand by the demand of carving out Gorkhaland from West Bengal.
"But that does not mean we have to sit silently. We have to work towards a strong permanent political solution that the BJP assured during the last parliamentary election. We have to work out the best alternative. We have suffered a lot and generations have been lost. The onus lies on us to work out the best alternative otherwise we will once more become a political prey," declared the youth president.
Political pundits in the state feel that BJP is gradually trying to disseminate their stand as they stand on the Assembly election crossroad with the desire to come to power in West Bengal.
This is the first time that the saffron camp has given such a statement. In the past three parliamentary elections, though sighing away from the "Gorkhaland" word, they have managed to win the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat riding piggyback on the demand.
Pokhrel stated: "Who does not feel bad when it is stated that Gorkhaland is not possible? But this is the bitter truth. "Gorkhaland" is what Subash Ghising who had coined the term had later labelled it a fruitless wild tuber (Baan Tarul in Nepali.)"
