CPM state secretary Md Salim has called for a permanent political solution to Darjeeling hill issues through territorial autonomy within the framework of the Indian Constitution, while accusing the Centre of diverting attention from residents’ basic needs.
Salim made the remarks on Sunday after attending a meeting of CPM workers from the Darjeeling and Kurseong subdivisions at Kalamandir in the hill town. He said residents continued to face problems related to proper education, drinking water, employment and safety.
The CPM leader alleged that the BJP-led central government was using interlocutors and task forces instead of directly addressing these concerns. “The BJP and central government are not sincere about redressing the basic issues of the hill residents. Instead, they are dangling lollipops, sometimes by appointing an interlocutor, or by forming a task force, to divert their attention from the very basic rights,” he told the media.
Salim’s remarks link the political demand for greater autonomy with the delivery of essential services in the Darjeeling hills. His statement did not provide details of a new proposal, administrative structure or implementation timeline, but reiterated the CPM’s position that the issue should be resolved through a constitutional framework.
He also accused the BJP and RSS of failing to follow the Constitution’s principle of “Unity in Diversity”. Salim alleged that the two organisations had taken away the democratic rights of people in Bengal, Bihar and Delhi. The claims were made as part of his criticism of the Centre’s approach to the hill region.
Saman Pathak, secretary of the CPM’s Darjeeling district committee, said the party wanted the “highest form of regional autonomy” with a constitutional guarantee. “We have always demanded the highest form of regional autonomy with a constitutional guarantee. Only that highest form of autonomy will ensure the basic rights of the hill people and we will continuously keep on raising the issue,” Pathak said.
The statements place access to public services alongside the long-running political demand for autonomy in the Darjeeling hills. The CPM has not indicated any immediate institutional process arising from the meeting, and the report contains no response from the Centre or other political parties to the allegations.
