Darjeeling woke up to the oh-so familiar stew of political unrest, renewed calls for a separate state, Gorkhaland, and contingents of central forces and the state police trying to douse the fire.
The sense of deja vu inspired by the imagery was courtesy the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). Isolated and un-consulted by the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, it was GJM chief Bimal Gurung's way of making his relevance felt in the Hills, where he was, till recently, the only force to reckon with.
Gurung formed the GJM in 2007 after falling out with Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) chief Subhash Ghising, with the objective of pursuing a separate state, Gorkhaland, to be carved out from the hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong.
Agitation, bandhs and hunger strikes followed till Banerjee came to power in the state in 2011.
A hundred days into her first term as chief minister of West Bengal, Banerjee managed to restore peace and stability in Darjeeling, bringing an end to intermittent spells of prolonged bandhs and agitation, with the creation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) that had administrative, executive and financial powers.
It was like old wine in a new bottle, though. The Left Front had made peace with Ghising by forming the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, as Banerjee did with the GTA.
Nonetheless, peace returned to Darjeeling. Like giving back land to "unwilling" farmers in Singur and restoring peace in Junglemahal, normalcy in the Hills of Bengal, too, was a pre-electoral pledge. Banerjee delivered on that count and couldn't talk enough about it afterwards.
Her speeches would begin and end with "pahaar ekhon hansche (the hills are now smiling), Junglemahal hansche (Junglemahal is smiling)", often drawing jibes from the Opposition.
The honeymoon period with the GJM lasted about two years. Once Telangana was awarded statehood, the demand for Gorkhaland started rearing its head and it wasn't within Gurung's powers to suppress it. It was the first bone of contention with Banerjee, who had made it clear that there would be no Gorkhaland.
Ostensibly, the 12-hour token bandh called by the GJM last week, was to protest a statement made by Banerjee on her recent trip to the Hills. The state government had given Rs 4,000 crore to the GTA for developmental work, she said.
Gurung grabbed the opportunity. He said the GTA had in the last four and half years received only Rs 238 crore. Banerjee retaliated by issuing notices that all government staff would have to report to work or face a pay-cut.
But the bandh happened. Around 300 GJM workers were detained as they used it as a platform to raise demands for Gorkhaland.
For all practical purposes, the bandh was successful, despite the efforts of the state government to foil it. Banerjee's success was more symbolic; the toy train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways ran under police protection, for the first time during a bandh, and state government offices reported 97 per cent attendance.
But it wasn't easy for Gurung to pull it off either. So there will be no further bandhs during the festive season, a peak time for tourists. Given that tea and tourism are the main revenue drivers for Darjeeling, another bandh during this period may not be all that successful.
But the sparring over the grant to GTA is just a veneer.
Banerjee's aspirations have got the better of her. Not one to be content with dominance over South Bengal, Banerjee meticulously worked her way into North Bengal. Her strategy was a time-tested one: divide and rule.
First, Alipurduar was made a district. Then she established a branch secretariat of the state government in Siliguri to cater to the needs of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda. The results showed in the Assembly elections.
In 2011, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) got 16 out of 54 seats from six districts in North Bengal compared to 20 in 2016; four were from Alipurduar.
The results also showed that Gurung's support in the Hills is on the decline. The GJM's winning margin in the three hill subdivisions took a severe beating in the Assembly, what with the breakaways from the party.
The face of the GJM, Harka Bahadur Chettri, has formed the Jan Andolan Party and has a stronghold in Kalimpong; GJM Vice-President Pradeep Pradhan has joined the TMC with several others from the party.
There's more to it. At least 10 development boards for tribal groups in Darjeeling such as the Lepchas, Bhutias and Tamangs have been set up. A board for the Gurungs is also on the cards, as promised by the chief minister.
Funds flowing to these boards will make the GTA more and more redundant. The interference of the state government in the affairs and non-transfer of administrative powers to it is already being heard in court.
Further, Banerjee has declared Kalimpong the 21st district in West Bengal. This again, would strength Chettri's position who had been fighting for it while weakening Gurung.
As the stakes rise, it remains to be seen, who will have the last laugh in the Hills. For now, it's Banerjee who's smiling.
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
