Absconding Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung raised concerns over the steady inflow of Rohingya Muslims into North Bengal’s Darjeeling.
Gurung, who is believed to be hiding in Nepal to evade arrest, released a note from his hideout on Friday. “I have been hearing ground reports about suspicious movements of people in our region. They reportedly don’t speak in Hindi or in local languages, and locals suspect that they are Rohingya Muslims. These people are gradually being pushed into our region with the intention of marginalising Gorkha, Adivasis, Rajbangshi and Indian Bengali population,” he stated in the note.
This is for the first time that Gurung, who once launched violent protests to keep up the Gorkha pride, voiced concerns over the encroachments on rights of other communities apart from Nepali community.
“It seems like a sinister plan is afoot to further marginalise the original inhabitants of these lands and render us homeless,” said Gurung, who once asked Bengalis and other non-Gorkhas to leave the hilly Darjeeling, and wanted plains of Terai and Dooars of North Bengal to be part of Grokhaland as well though they are inhabited by non-Gorkhas. But this time, Gurung integrated them all when he issued the alert note.
People close to Gurung have told THE WEEK that he has changed his stand now, and would be interested in dealing with the state government. However, his words seemed less venomous.
He chose the right words to criticise the West Bengal government, and blamed the Mamata Banerjee government of comprising on the national security.
“Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars touch international boundaries—Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Tibet,” he said, and highlighted the strategic significance of these border areas which connects mainland India with the rest of the country.
It is alleged that Trinamool Congress is helping large number of Rohingyas who are coming to Bengal. While a group of 70 people was allowed shelter at a village in Sunderbans recently when they were brought in trucks in North Bengal, sources have said Rohingyas are entering via Assam.
“They are entering through the Tripura border with Bangladesh and marched into Assam before sneaking into Bengal and finally going to South Nepal. But of late, many are staying in North Bengal as well, as Nepali government is driving them out,” said a SIB (Subsidiary Intelligence Branch) officer of central government.
Gurung said as Rohingyas posed national security threat for India, the Central government must act. He also launched a veiled attack on Trinamool Congress for allowing them to stay in Bengal.
“It has been widely acknowledged that Rohingyas pose national security threat and it seems like certain political elements are allowing them to settle for one and only reason—vote bank politics. Despite central intelligence agencies having repeatedly raised the national security risk posed by Rohingyas, certain political outfits are allowing politics of votes to supersede national interests.” said the Gorkha leader who has been indicted by Special Task Force of West Bengal police under UAPA Act for inciting terror in North Bengal’s Darjeeling hills.
Gurung asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh to take stock of the situation. He also asked his followers in North Bengal to be very vigilant to ensure that as Rohingyas pose no threat.
Perhaps the man, who is being regarded as security threat for state of West Bengal, is trying to come up as a crusader of national security and interests.