By IANS,
Kolkata : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Tuesday called the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “highly opportunistic” for fielding veteran leader Jaswant Singh from West Bengal’s Darjeeling with the support of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM).
“The BJP has taken a very highly opportunistic and unprincipled decision to field Jaswant Singh from Darjeeling hills with GJM support. They should look at the long term interest of the country,” CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said during a meet-the-press programme at the Kolkata Press Club here.
“I think they’ll later regret their decision,” Karat said.
The GJM, the principal political outfit in the hills which is spearheading a movement for a separate Gorkhaland state, has supported Singh’s candidature after the BJP agreed to sympathetically consider its demand.
Singh, a former central minister, will be up against sitting MP Dawa Narbula of the Congress and CPI-M candidate Jibesh Sarkar among others.
Three of the assembly segments in the constituency – Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong – are in the hills where the GJM now appears to have a stronghold. The remaining four parts – Matigara-Naxalbari, Siliguri, Phansidewa and Chopra – are in the plains.
Darjeeling goes to polls April 30.