Ghisingh decision to back Congress shocks Left Front

Politics in Darjeeling – an idyllic hill resort built by the British in West Bengal and also known for its famous flavoured tea the world over – took an interesting turn with the Gorkha National Liberation Front supremo, Subash Ghisingh springing a surprise by announcing his party's support for the Congress candidate in the ensuing elections. For the ruling Left Front it came as a bolt from the blue.

In the past three parliament elections, the Gorkha National Liberation Front chief has helped the Left candidate win the seat by giving "poll boycott" calls that indirectly helped the Marxists. Political circles are yet to assess Ghisingh's latest move, but almost everyone was unanimous that yet again the leader from the hill proved true to his reputation of being a "master of uncertainty."

But the more significant aspect of his announcement was that fact that his party – the Gorkha National Liberation Front while urging the people to support the Congress in the election, once again renewed its demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland comprising the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling. The statement issued by the party yesterday mentioned that with the Congress government at the centre it would be easier for the GNLF to achieve its demand of a separate statehood.

It may be recalled that the Darjeeling hills were witness to a bloody uprising in the mid 1980s over a separate statehood agitation. After years of bloodshed and violence, the West Bengal Government and the Central government signed a peace accord with the GNLF, granting an autonomous Gorkha Hill Council, that has been administered by Ghisingh for the past 15 years. During the bloody days of the Gorkha agitation, the Left Front in Bengal accused Buta Singh, the then Union Home Minister of the Congress government providing tacit patronage to the GNLF leader.

Interestingly, in the run up to the polls this time Singh had travelled to Darjeeling and held meeting with the GNLF chief. There was however, no official announcement from either side about any poll adjustment. On the other hand, the Left Front in West Bengal, particularly the Communists had been steadily courting the GNLF leader and there appeared to be an excellent rapport between the two sides. Suddenly, all such equations have evidently been upset.

In the intervening period, Ghisingh survived a deadly ambush on his motorcade when some disgruntled hill outfit made an attempt on his life in the late '90s. He survived the attack but became a leader who is rarely seen in public anymore.

Instead of political uttering he had been involved in religious activities consistently. Scores of small temples had been inaugurated by him in the past couple of years in Darjeeling while basic problems of development of the hill people remained neglected.

In more recent times, disperate political outfits, including disgruntled GNLF elements, have been trying to unite and in this election an umbrella organisation, People's Democratic Front (PDP), was formed, dominant among these being the Congress. Ghising took them all by surprise by announcing his support for the Congress. It leaves everyone guessing if this is Ghisingh's style of nipping the dissent in the bud ?