‘Nadda’s ‘goodbye to regional parties’ remark stokes controversy in Hills’
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National president J P Nadda’s “goodbye to regional parties” has not gone down well with the political outfits of this region. They have stated that it is a ploy of the saffron brigade to implement the “One Nation, One Party, One Leader” agenda, thereby throttling pluralism and democracy, the very foundation of the country. J P Nadda, while launching BJP’s Sankalp Patra for Sikkim Assembly election in Gangtok on Thursday, stated: “Enough is enough. You have to come to the mainstream and mainstream is BJP and the leadership of Modi. It is enough for regional parties. You have to concentrate on the mainstream. So bid goodbye to regional parties and bid goodbye to corruption. Gone are the days of regional parties, gone are the days of corruption.”
“This statement reeks of autocracy and goes against the federal and democratic structure of India. It is the largest democracy and is a living example of unity in diversity. It is very unfortunate that the national president of a national party utters such statements. We vehemently condemn this. Hitler used to believe in one nation, one-party, one-leader. Are they taking India towards that regime? India will never forgive them and will give a befitting answer through the ballot” stated Gautam Deb, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Mayor, Siliguri.
Anit Thapa, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha president has given a call to Darjeeling and Sikkim to save regionalism. “J P Nadda has outright talked of ending regional parties and regionalism. I am hereby giving a call to Sikkim to save regionalism. Darjeeling along with Sikkim will vote for saving regionalism this time,” stated Thapa. Ajoy Edwards, president of Hamro Party questioned how
regional aspirations will survive if regional parties are done away with. “What do the regional alliance partners of BJP have to say about this statement? The BJP’s modus operandi has always been to piggyback on regional parties and then finish them off. Whether in Sikkim, Maharashtra or Himachal it has always been the same.
The BJP had first come in with the assurance to contest in Lok Sabha elections and now you see them in civic polls and rural polls also. The Hamro Party condemns the regional allies of the BJP also for joining hands with BJP to end regionalism,” stated Edwards. Reacting to this, Noman Rai of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), an ally of the BJP remained sketchy, stating: “We will not allow regional aspirations to end and as we being a regional party cannot form a government at the Centre, we have supported BJP.”
Rai however did not have a definite answer as to how the hill party towing the BJP agenda, would save regionalism. Bimal Gurung, GJM president had earlier accused BJP of being a “dinosaur out to devour regional parties.” However, he suddenly joined hands with the BJP.