‘CPM never looked at statehood seriously’ - Senior Left leader joins Morcha - Protesters say Gorkhaland first, projects later

Darjeeling, Nov. 28: After holding fort for more than a year, the CPM leadership in the hills seems to be cracking with prominent party leader Narayan Pradhan deciding to join the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today.

This is the first instance of a senior CPM leader deciding to support the Morcha movement.

“When I was with the CPM, I felt we from the hills were being distanced. We always talked about statehood among our party leaders but it was never looked into seriously. This (Darjeeling) is my place and Gorkhaland is everyone’s dream. It is something we will have to achieve for our future generation,” said Pradhan, a district committee member of the Left party.

“This is the reason why I have decided to support the Morcha whose movement is not violent as it was during the last time around (the GNLF agitation in the eighties),” he added. Pradhan was one of the visible faces of the CPM in town and his decision to join the Morcha is likely to hit the Left party hard.

The CPM leader who was associated with the party for the past 20 years and had served in the SFI’s state committee and the DYFI's state council, also met Bimal Gurung, the Morcha president, in Darjeeling today.

Roshan Giri, general secretary of the Morcha, said: "We welcome Pradhan to our fold and we also appeal to other Morcha units to try and reason out with the CPM leaders to join us. The Morcha members of Ward 22 (Pradhan resides in this ward) have done an exemplary work.”

There are 18 members in the CPM’s district committee in the hills. Most of them have moved out since the Gorkhaland agitation but for Pradhan, who had stayed back.

“Some time ago, a section of the CPM leaders like R.B. Rai had rebelled and formed the CPRM. When I look back I think theirs was a wise decision,” said Pradhan. The CPRM was formed in 1995 by former CPM heavyweights like Rai and DS Bomzom. The breakaway communist party formed for Gorkhaland was recognised as the largest Opposition even during Ghisingh’s heydays.

Raju Pradhan, the assistant general secretary of the Morcha, said his party would try and provide membership to all those who were with other outfits. “As far as the GNLF is concerned, we have categorised those who knowingly posed a hurdle to our party’s movement and those who are passive. We will welcome those in the second category,” said the assistant general secretary. Along with Pradhan, some CPM supporters from Ward 22 like Jayamit Lepcha, Purnima Gurung and Sadna Tamang have decided to join the Morcha movement.

In Siliguri, district CPM leaders refused to admit that Pradhan has joined the Morcha. “He is one of the members of the district committee of our party. We have no such information and don’t think he has joined the Morcha,” said Jibitesh Sarkar, a district secretariat member of the party.