Narbula’s Statement on Gorkhaland differ from that of the Central Leadership – Shyamal Chakrabarty

The Himalayan Beacon Exclusive

BY BARUN ROY

The Communist Party of India Marxist is brainstorming on Dawa Narbula, the Darjeeling Member of Parliament’s role in the Gorkhaland Movement. CPIM Central Politburo Member and CITU State (WB) President Shyamal Chakrabarty said, “The Central Government says one thing about the Gorkhaland movement while the Darjeeling MP Dawa Narbula says the other. The Congress Party hence must reprimand the MP.” Speaking at CITU organized function in Siliguri, the senior Marxist went at length to prove his point that the Darjeeling MP was cheating both his party and his people by lying on every issue he could think of. Chakrabarty also warded off alleged threats to the state resulting from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha President, Sibu Soren’s recent demand that the three districts of West Bengal be merged with Jharkhand. “The threat to the state must be resisted at all cost,” the veteran politician said. [Inset: Dawa Narbula consulting with Indian Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee]

Whatever might have irked the Marxists wrath on the Darjeeling Member of Parliament, Dawa Naruba, the resentment at least to some extent resonates in Darjeeling. The political analysts here believe that Gorkha Janmukti Morcha who had exerted considerable pressure on the Darjeeling MP to make his stand on Gorkhaland clear after a concentrated effort of the same was made through Beacon Online. Ramesh Adhikary, a teacher employed at a local Government School says, “Strangely, Dawa Narbula should have been aggressively striving for Gorkhaland right since the day he was elected. So much so that he should resonate the people’s aspirations in the floor of the Lok Sabha. But I think he has never done that and will never do. In fact, he has actually made all possible excuses from refraining to make his stand clear on Gorkhaland.”

“In the recent no confidence voting, Dawa Narbula had perhaps the best chance to come clear on the issue of Gorkhaland. He could have used the deliberation to speak at the floor on the issues concerning his people. With the intense interest of the media and the people, the cause of Gorkhaland would have been brought out before the nation to bear. But our MP was neither visible nor audible. It seems he merely disappeared amidst the multitude of Congress ‘Wafadars’ whose own personal political ideology and commitment to the people is nonexistent.” Sonam Tshering, a senior Government officer said. “The fact remains that Dawa Narbula, a die hard Congressman is more faithful to the party than to the people whose cause he swore to champion.”