Just days before the first phase of the Bengal elections, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) finds itself at the center of an alleged Rs 300-crore financial scandal.
A subsidised food scheme meant to bring relief to households in the Darjeeling hills has now turned into a political flashpoint, with allegations of a Rs 300-crore discrepancy in the distribution of chana dal, intensifying pressure on the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.
The controversy erupted after the Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front (IGJF) publicly accused the GTA of failing to account for a large consignment of chana dal sanctioned under a central government initiative.
The issue has quickly taken a political turn in the hills, with opposition voices questioning not just the missing stock, but the manner in which the entire scheme was handled.
The scheme in question, the Bharat Brand programme launched in 2023, was aimed at cushioning households from rising food prices by supplying essentials like chana dal at subsidised rates. Implemented through agencies such as the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF), the initiative draws from buffer stocks under the Price Stabilisation Fund.
At a press briefing, IGJF leader Phinzo Wangyal Gurung showed RTI documents and alleged that nearly 14,000 metric tonnes of chana dal allocated for the Darjeeling hills remains unaccounted for in terms of public distribution.
"The burden of clarification now rests with the GTA," he said, signalling a direct political challenge to the hill administration.
RTI documents cited by the IGJF claims that the GTA had initially sought 45,000 metric tonnes of pulses to stabilise prices in the region.
The Department of Consumer Affairs approved 14,000 MT in April 2024. However, what has drawn political attention is the execution model adopted in the hills.
Instead of following the usual route of distribution through government-backed cooperatives, a private firm was reportedly brought in as a key implementing agency, handling lifting, processing, packaging and even payments related to the chana dal supply.
This departure from established practice has given opposition groups ammunition to question the transparency of the process, the political party further alleged.
The GTA authorities are yet to respond to the allegations.
However, watchers are also questioning IGJF's intentions of revealing the RTI just days ahead of the first phase of assembly polls in Bengal to be held on April 23 where entire North Bengal region, including Darjeeling hills, will go to vote.
