West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh today faced protests by the supporters of the Jan Andolan Party (JAP) and expelled GJM leader Binay Tamang, who demanded that the party delegation leave the Darjeeling hills immediately and refrain from disturbing the "peace and stability" in the region.
The JAP supporters and Tamang took to the streets and staged a demonstration against Ghosh, when he reached here leading a BJP team.
"Dilip Ghosh go back", the protesters were heard shouting.
Ghosh, however, refuted their allegation that he had come to the hills to foment trouble and claimed that it was due to his initiative that peace had returned to Darjeeling.
"I talked to the Union home minister, after which peace returned to the Darjeeling hills," he said.
Slamming expelled Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Tamang, who was subsequently made the chairman of the Board of Administrators (BoA) for the Darjeeling hills by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, Ghosh said, "He (Tamang) has betrayed the people of the hills and is acting as a stooge of the state government.
"Before seeking a clarification from me, he should first clarify what is the stand of the state government (on Gorkhaland)."
He described GJM supremo Bimal Gurung as the "undisputed leader of the hills" and others as "extra players".
Another expelled GJM leader and vice-chairman of the BoA, Anit Thapa, too accused the BJP of trying to foment trouble in the hills.
"What was it (BJP) doing for the three-and-a-half months when the hills were burning ? Now that peace has returned, it wants to create trouble," he alleged.
The BJP team is scheduled to visit various places in the hills and neighbouring Sikkim and hold meetings with its workers and the GJM leadership.
State Tourism Minister Gautam Deb asked the saffron party to clear its stand on the GJM's demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.
"Do they support the demand for Gorkhaland or oppose it?" he asked.
Gurung, who is in hiding, in an audio message last night welcomed the BJP leaders to the hills and said the ruling party at the Centre should ensure the removal of Tamang as the BoA chairman.
The BJP team is scheduled to visit Darjeeling tomorrow and the rebel GJM group, led by Tamang and Thapa, is slated to take out rallies at various places in the hills to protest the visit of the saffron party's delegation.
Several posters with the message "BJP go back" and requesting the hill people to boycott the party's delegation have also come up in the hills.
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