The demand for Gorkhaland state is thawing the poll-bound Queen of the Hills this winter after a gap of almost five years amid fears among many about its impact on the local tourism-led economy limping back to normal after Covid-induced duress.

Over the last couple of weeks, some hill parties opposed to Anit Thapa’s BGPM that now helms the Darjeeling civic body and the GTA, brought the statehood issue back to the core of political discourse in the hills.

Its main architect is Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, with allies like Ajoy Edwards of Hamro Party, and Binay Tamang. Gurung has formed the Bharatiya Gorkhaland Sangharsha Samiti to spearhead the demand.

“There seems to be a change in the discourse as after the 2017 Gorkhaland agitations, most hill parties had refrained from raising the Gorkhaland issue during elections,” said an observer of hill politics.

The fact that Gurung is planning a protracted movement became clear on Friday, when Gorkha Janmukti Morcha wrote to the President, Prime Minister, Union home minister and Bengal chief minister on its decision to withdraw from the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration memorandum of agreement to formally oppose the hill body they had agreed to in 2011.

The Morcha and its allies have, however, clearly stated that they are not against the rural polls, which indicates that they want to test waters using the Gorkhaland call.

However, Roshan Giri, general secretary of Morcha, on Friday said their events would be Delhi-centric and not in the Darjeeling region.

The reasons aren’t too far to seek. “The economy has been hit hard in the hills, first by the 104-day general strike of 2017 (led by the Morcha) and then the Covid-induced lockdown,” said a businessman.

On Giri’s claim, a hotelier sounded sceptical: “It is difficult to believe their Delhi-centric slogan.”

Darjeeling hills have not seen a single day of general strike after the 104-day general strike of 2017. Tourism is looking up too. This tourist season, Darjeeling fared better than Sikkim in post-Puja months. “Occupancy in Darjeeling hotels was 70 per cent, while in Gangtok it was 28 per cent,” a hotelier said, adding many of them were wary of the new Gorkhaland agitation turning violent too.

Thapa, the president of the BGPM and chief executive of the GTA, on Saturday told the media: “They (GJM and their associates) are simply trying to misguide the hills. Their only intention is to counter our party....”

“Gorkhaland is a demand of every Gorkha. The demand must be pursued by apolitical people as politicians have only used the demand to be in power,” said Thapa, adding that the Prime Minister should be asked whether his government would create a separate state.