GJM Defends BJP addendum to its election manifesto

GJM president Bimal Gurung today stepped forward in defence of the BJP at an indoor election meeting in Darjeeling.

"Mistakes can happen. The BJP is a big national party capable of winning the election to form the next government in Delhi and one seat from Darjeeling will not make much of a difference. But we are happy and satisfied that the BJP has addressed our demand and mentioned our issue in its manifesto," he said.

The BJP, after a faux pas, has included an addendum to its election manifesto that was released on Monday. The original had failed to mention the aspiration of the Darjeeling hills leaving party candidate SS Ahluwalia in sixes and sevens.

The BJP manifesto had only touched upon the "issue" (of a separate state) in general as one of the region’s aspirations and this did not go down well with its ally, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

This triggered hectic parleys between Ahluwalia and GJM leaders with senior BJP leaders in Delhi, following which the BJP came out with an addendum around midnight. The supplement manifesto reads thus:

Binay Tamang,justifying the BJP stand on
the issue of Darjeeling hills

"Further to the election manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party released today for the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, the BJP reiterates that it will sympathetically examine and appropriately consider the long pending demands of the Gorkhas, the Adivasis and other people of Darjeeling district and the Dooars region; of the Kamtapuri, Rajbongshi and other people of North Bengal (including recognition of their language) and will take initiatives for the permanent solution of the long pending issues of the Bodo and other tribals of Assam, the people of Sikkim, Leh, Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshwadweep and other such neglected regions".

GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang held a press briefing today to clarify the reason behind the apparent omission. "The BJP had initially wanted to release its election manifesto between April 10 and 12. But upon the instruction of the Election Commission, the party was forced to release its manifesto in a hurry yesterday, hence the omission. Moreover, the BJP's election drafting committee chairman, Murli Mohan Joshi, was pre-occupied with other matters," claimed Tamang, adding the GJM and the BJP are both sincere towards the popular demand for a separate state.

The GJM and the BJP had come in for sharp criticism from various quarters including other political parties of the hills, with many crying out betrayal and compromise.

Source:EOIC

Share this: