Swept Away by Floods: In a rare moment of solidarity, the political landscape of North Bengal — often marked by fierce rivalries and blame games — witnessed an unusual calm as unprecedented floods ravaged the region. What began as another season of monsoon showers quickly turned catastrophic, washing away bridges, homes, and the usual boundaries between political parties.
As torrential rains battered the hills and plains, leaving behind trails of destruction, the crisis forced politicians across party lines to put aside differences and work shoulder to shoulder in relief operations. From Darjeeling to Jalpaiguri, from Alipurduar to Cooch Behar, leaders who were once divided by ideology and allegiance united under one urgent cause — saving lives.
The disaster that tore through North Bengal not only devastated families and homes but also reminded the political class of a shared human responsibility — to serve the people beyond the colors of the party flag.
The Flood Fury: North Bengal’s Unrelenting Monsoon Disaster
The first week of October brought relentless rain across North Bengal’s hills and plains. Rivers like Teesta, Torsha, Jaldhaka, and Holong swelled beyond their banks, submerging villages, cutting off roads, and triggering massive landslides. The ferocity of the rain was so overwhelming that bridges collapsed, power lines snapped, and even entire tea garden colonies vanished under the torrent.
In Darjeeling and Kalimpong, landslides destroyed homes perched on steep slopes. In Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar, floodwaters engulfed fields and highways. The death toll mounted as families were swept away in their sleep.
Administrative machinery was stretched thin, with rescue teams working round the clock. The army, NDRF, and state disaster response forces were deployed, but in several remote areas, local volunteers and political workers were the first to arrive.
“The sound of the river that night was terrifying — louder than thunder,” said a resident of Bijanbari, recalling the moment the flood entered her home. “We didn’t see politicians or police that night. We saw neighbors, party workers, and ordinary people helping us climb to higher ground.”
The floods became not just a natural disaster but a test of leadership, humanity, and unity in a politically divided land.
A Rare Sight: Political Adversaries Working Side by Side
For years, politics in North Bengal — especially in the Darjeeling hills — has been shaped by competing interests among parties like the BJP, Trinamool Congress (TMC), BGPM (Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha), and the CPI(M). But as rivers burst their banks, those rivalries seemed to fade, at least temporarily.
- Raju Bista, BJP MP from Darjeeling, was seen visiting relief camps in Mirik and Souren, not alone but accompanied by Arun Sigchi, a senior BGPM leader allied with TMC. Their joint presence was described by locals as “unimaginable before the floods.”
- Satish Pokhrel, a BGPM member of the GTA Sabha, accompanied Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Bista during a visit to Relling, one of the worst-hit areas. Pokhrel later wrote, “When people are suffering, there is no place for politics.”
- Sukanta Majumdar, Union minister and BJP leader, visited Mandalghat in Jalpaiguri, meeting victims and coordinating relief materials.
- CPI(M) volunteers — known locally as the Red Volunteers — set up community kitchens and distributed ration in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar, working with panchayat leaders across parties.
Across the flood-ravaged districts, politicians were seen carrying relief sacks, organizing medical camps, and traveling together — a rare visual of unity that locals described as “the real need of the hour.”
“Floods don’t ask which party you belong to. They wash away everything — homes, memories, and boundaries,” said a forest guard in Madarihat, Alipurduar.
Humanitarian Front: When Relief Became the Only Politics
The devastation left behind by the floods created an urgent demand for food, medicine, and shelter. With several areas still cut off, relief operations became a collective mission involving administrative teams, political groups, NGOs, and citizen volunteers.
Rescue and Relief Operations
Helicopters and boats ferried stranded villagers to higher ground. Roads turned into rivers, forcing relief convoys to use tractors and even elephants in the Jaldapara region.
Politicians and bureaucrats coordinated to deliver tarpaulin sheets, dry food, milk, and medical kits to temporary shelters. The district administrations in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri declared emergency zones, while local leaders used social media to organize fund drives.
Medical Support and Sanitation Crisis
Doctors’ teams from both government hospitals and private clinics joined hands, supported by party-led volunteer groups. With stagnant water increasing the risk of cholera and dengue, health workers began disinfecting water sources and distributing chlorine tablets.
The People’s Response
Ordinary citizens too became part of the political truce. College students in Siliguri and Jalpaiguri opened donation counters, while retired tea garden workers cooked food for camp residents.
“For once, it didn’t matter who supported which party,” said a youth volunteer in Nagrakata, Jalpaiguri. “We were all fighting the same enemy — the flood.”
Swept Away by Floods: A Crisis That Cut Across Political Colors
The North Bengal floods have forced political leaders to confront a truth they have long ignored — that climate-related disasters don’t discriminate between party lines.
Environmentalists have repeatedly warned that unchecked construction, deforestation, and unplanned tourism have worsened the region’s vulnerability to floods. Embankments are often poorly maintained, and rivers overloaded with silt overflow every monsoon.
But these warnings, often lost amid political shouting matches, suddenly became urgent realities. The flood’s scale and intensity made finger-pointing irrelevant. Instead, cooperation became survival.
In Darjeeling, GTA officials worked alongside state government engineers to rebuild damaged culverts. In Cooch Behar, BJP and TMC councillors jointly distributed relief materials. And in Kalimpong, NGOs partnered with local MLAs, regardless of affiliation, to rehabilitate displaced families.
Such collaboration is almost unheard of in the region, where even small civic projects often get mired in political disputes.
The Optics of Unity: Humanitarianism Meets Political Strategy
While the public praised the display of unity, analysts caution that this cooperation could also serve as strategic optics.
Every relief operation has a political subtext — who arrives first, who gets credit for the supplies, and whose promises resonate most. Social media images of leaders in gumboots and raincoats wading through floodwaters carry symbolic power.
Still, in this case, many observers believe the humanitarian urgency has subdued political motives.
“Even if there’s political strategy behind their visits, the fact that leaders came together matters,” said a schoolteacher from Matelli, Jalpaiguri. “For once, we saw them acting as humans, not as politicians.”
Lingering Tensions Beneath the Surface
Despite the apparent harmony, subtle tensions continue to simmer beneath the surface.
- Questions of Accountability: Opposition leaders allege that poor drainage planning and negligence of embankment maintenance worsened the floods. The ruling establishment blames unpredictable rainfall patterns and upstream dam releases.
- Relief Distribution Disputes: In some areas, locals have accused officials of partisan bias in distributing cash compensation and relief kits.
- Rehabilitation Politics: With reconstruction plans now underway, political lobbying over fund allocation and compensation lists has already begun.
The unity seen during the crisis may not last long. As waters recede, old rivalries could easily resurface — a pattern that has repeated itself after every natural disaster in Bengal.
The Human Cost: Stories from the Ground
In the aftermath of the deluge, countless stories of loss and courage emerged.
A farmer from Madarihat said he lost both his home and his paddy field. “I don’t care who helps me — BJP or TMC. I just want to rebuild.”
In Bijanbari, a local school turned into a shelter for over 200 people. Political workers from different parties shared the same cooking fires, serving rice and lentils to the displaced.
In Alipurduar, elephants from the forest department carried supplies across submerged tracks, while local youth volunteers coordinated with police to rescue elderly residents.
These accounts reflect something deeper — that in moments of collective suffering, the idea of community transcends politics.
Climate Change, Mismanagement, and the Road Ahead
Experts say that North Bengal’s recurring flood disasters are symptoms of a deeper crisis: climate change combined with administrative neglect.
The Himalayas’ fragile ecosystem is being destabilized by unplanned infrastructure, deforestation, and river encroachment. Climate researchers at IIT Guwahati have noted that North Bengal’s rivers are carrying more silt than ever before, causing rapid flooding during heavy rains.
Unless long-term mitigation strategies — like proper embankment reinforcement, afforestation, and drainage upgrades — are implemented, such disasters will only worsen.
The challenge for political leaders is not just to appear united during crises, but to act decisively afterward.
The Temporary Truce: Unity Born of Necessity
As floodwaters begin to recede, observers wonder how long the spirit of unity will last. Will it pave the way for bipartisan planning to prevent future disasters, or will it fade once cameras leave?
For now, citizens remain cautiously hopeful. “If they can work together to save lives,” said a relief volunteer in Jalpaiguri, “they can work together to rebuild our villages too.”
The deluge has washed away more than homes — it has momentarily washed away divisions. Whether this spirit survives the dry season will determine if North Bengal’s politics can evolve beyond rivalry and rhetoric.
Conclusion: Washed by the Floods, Reborn in Humanity
In the heart of destruction, amid mud, loss, and despair, North Bengal found a glimmer of unity. The floods may have swept away bridges, homes, and dreams, but they also revealed something profound — that when survival is at stake, political labels lose meaning.
Leaders who once stood on opposite platforms stood together this time, handing out relief kits and hope in equal measure. Their temporary truce, even if fragile, showed what politics could look like when humanity takes precedence.
Yet, as the region braces for recovery, the coming weeks will test whether that compassion can endure beyond the floodwaters.
Because true leadership is not shown in the flood — it is proven in the rebuilding that follows.
External References:
- West Bengal Disaster Management & Civil Defence Department
- National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
- Indian Meteorological Department – Flood and Rainfall Bulletins
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IIT Guwahati – Hydrology and Flood Risk Studies in North Bengal
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