Gorkha Janmukti Morcha waves liquor ban threat in Darjeeling

Darjeeling, Oct. 26: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today announced a ban on liquor shops in the hills from November 7.

The shutdown is apparently not because the hill outfit wants supporters to abstain but because it doesn’t want the state to earn revenue from their drink.

“During the festival season, the Bengal government collected Rs 40-50 crore as excise duty from liquor sales in the hills. All liquor shops will be shut down from November 7,” Morcha president Bimal Gurung told a rally in Darjeeling town while announcing a series of agitation programmes to press his statehood demand.

Hotel and restaurant owners reacted with shock, but refused to be quoted out of fear. “About 70 per cent of the din- ers consume alcohol and we buy our supplies from the off-shops. We will lose a lot of revenue,” said a restaurant owner who refused to named.

“On every bill, at least 50 per cent is spent on liquor,” said the manager of another restaurant.

Bringing liquor from the plains will not be a cost-effective proposition, they added.

Sales from the off-shops had picked up since Morcha volunteers started a crackdown on liquor smuggled in from Sikkim a few months ago.

Representatives of the Centre and the state are going to meet Morcha leaders in Darjeeling on December 21 for the fourth round of talks on their demands.

Observers said the outfit had also stepped up its agitation before the first round last year. It had then asked the hill people to refrain from paying their electricity bills.

“I will declare Gorkhaland and impose home rule (if the December talks are inconclusive),” Gurung said today. “Gorkhaland Personnel (the outfit’s volunteer force) will collect tea, motor vehicle, boulder and other taxes.”

The Morcha has also decided to restart using “Gorkhaland” on signboards. However, unlike in the past, it will refrain from replacing “West Bengal” on government boards.

At Chowrastha, Gurung admitted rampant corruption in his outfit and promised measures to stem the rot. “During the two-year agitation, many leaders have bought expensive cars, built houses, sat with engineers in hotel rooms and amassed wealth. The party secretary will start sending notices to them from tomorrow,” he told the gathering.

Never before had the Morcha chief made a public admission of corruption in his ranks. He said the tainted leaders were in all wings of the party.

Former footballer Shyam Thapa was among Darjeeling sportspersons presented with a tola (little less than 10gm) of gold, a citation and a khukuri at the Chowrastha event.