Battle of numbers at May Day meets - Security at venues to prevent clash

Darjeeling, April 30: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the CPRM, the two largest parties in the hills, will organize May Day celebrations here tomorrow, raising a possibility of confrontation between their supporters.

As both the parties have pledged to ensure the participation of as many people as possible, police have decided to post adequate forces at the venues where meetings will be held.

The CPRM had announced its decision to organise May Day programme more than a fortnight back. The Morcha-affiliated-Janmukti United Labour Welfare Organisation (JULWO) announced its plans today but claimed that the decision had been taken much earlier.

“We had decided to hold a meeting sometime back. We were working on a handbook for the labourers titled Unmukti and it will be released at the meeting. We have been organising May Day celebrations for the past two years,” said David Rai, the president of the JULWO.

The Morcha meeting will be attended by party president Bimal Gurung, along with general secretary Roshan Giri and another senior leader Amar Lama.

While the CPRM meeting will be held at Chowk Bazar, the Morcha has chosen Chowrastha, less than a kilometre away, for its programme that will begin at 10.30am.

The two hill outfits have also decided to take out rallies which will start from the Darjeeling railway station, but at different times.

“We will not go in for any confrontation and there is no reason to fear any law and order problem,” said D.S. Bomzom, the spokesperson for the CPRM.

The ABGL has also decided to support and attend the CPRM’s meeting. In the recent past, the ABGL had to call off two meetings at Chowk Bazar after the Morcha decided to hold rallies at the same venue.

The CPRM central committee is holding May Day function for the first time after the Morcha was formed in October 2007 and many believe that the party is trying to show its strength.

“In 2007, the party’s central committee had organised the celebration in Kalimpong and in the past two years, our regional committees were organising (the programmes) at their respective places. This year, the central committee has again decided to organise the function,” said Bomzom.

In the past two years, the CPRM and the Morcha have had their fair share of problems. The Morcha had at times openly criticised R.B. Rai, the general secretary of the CPRM, alleging that the communists were responsible for the death of the hill people during the 1986 Gorkhaland agitation.

The CPRM was formed in 1997 by a group of hill leaders who had left the CPM.

Also, the Morcha had opposed a 12-hour strike called by the CPRM on August 22, 2008, to demand the speedy trial of Chattrey Subba, who had been accused of masterminding an attack on GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh on February 10, 2001, at Saat Ghumti near Kurseong. Even though the Morcha opposed the strike, it, too, had been demanding a speedy trial for Subba.

The respective parties are expected to bring in as many supporters as possible. “Our members from the town will definitely be attending the meeting and we are trying to get in supporters from tea gardens as well,” said Rai.

The CPRM has said they, too, have appealed to all their supporters to attend the meeting that will kick off at 11.30am.

K.L. Tamta, inspector-general of police, north Bengal, who was in Darjeeling today to attend the closing ceremony of Traffic Safety Week, said adequate police would be posted for both the programmes.

Amalkanti Ray, the subdivisional officer of Darjeeling, said permissions had been granted to the two parties, as the venues were different.

Source: The Telegraph