Updated: October 22, 2020 1:21:06 pm
Bimal Gurung on the outskirts of Gorkha Bhavan in Kolkata on October 21, 2020 (Express photo: Partha Paul)
Making his first public appearance in three years, Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung Wednesday broke ties with the NDA, saying that the BJP-led central government had not kept its Gorkhaland promise. He extended his party’s support for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, and vowed to give an adequate response to the BJP for disappointing the hill people.
Gurung had been on the run since 2017 after he was charged under the Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act in connection with a grenade attack at the Kalimpong Police Station and an explosion in the Chowk Bazaar area of Darjeeling. This was during the time when he orchestrated a 104-day shutdown in the hills demanding separate status, a long-standing demand from the Gorkhas who live in the hills of Darjeeling.
Statehood demand is still a hot potato for TMC
GJM’s alliance with the Trinamool Congress has reversed the political calculus in Hills ahead of next year’s Assembly elections in West Bengal. While Bimal Gurung’s endorsement of the TMC is likely to be a boost for Mamata Banerjee in the mountainous districts of North Bengal, and a possible setback for the BJP, the confusion of each party’s position on the demand for the condition Gorkhaland State could be a political minefield in an election year.
With the Assembly elections in West Bengal within eight months, the Bimal Gurung GJM severing ties with the BJP will lead to a paradigm shift in Bengal politics.
The developments that led to Bimal Gurung’s departure from NDA
On 19 September this year, Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista, under pressure from GJM leaders, raised the Gorkhaland issue during the monsoon session of Parliament. He said: “I requested the Union government to expedite the Permanent Political Solution determination process to meet the long-pending lawsuit of the people of the Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars regions. I ask Parliament to be aware of the fact that the Gorkhaland state lawsuit is a long-pending lawsuit from the people of Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars. “
Following your request, the Ministry of the Interior (MHA) invited the Government of West Bengal, the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) for a tripartite meeting to “discuss Gorkhaland-related issues” in Delhi on 7 October. However, the Center quickly changed the subject of the meeting, stating that the agenda had been revised from “Gorkhaland-related issues” to “Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) issues”.
The change in stance, however, was not well received by the GJM leadership, especially the Gurung-led faction. The GJM began to question the intention of the Center to satisfy its long-standing demand.
In the 2019 Sankalp Patra (Election Manifesto), the BJP had said: “We will recognize the 11 excluded Gorkha Indian sub-tribes as Program Tribes. We are also committed to implementing the reservation in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for the Limboo and Tamang tribes. We are committed to working to find a permanent political solution to the problem of Darjeeling Hills, Siliguri Terai and the Dooars region. “
This promise was also made by the BJP in its 2014 and 2009 election manifestos. Yet despite winning the Darjeeling parliamentary seat successively since 2009, the BJP has not been able to address the issue for half a century. Dilip Ghosh, the head of the Bengal BJP, had previously said that the party does not believe in the idea of a separate state from Gorkhaland. 📣 Follow Express explained on Telegram
Why is GJM important in West Bengal politics?
Since its formation in 2007, GJM’s support has been crucial in mountain politics. It is the most popular and powerful party in the Darjeeling Hills, which can tip an election in anyone’s favor. The party, created by Gurung, formed an alliance with the BJP in 2009, helping Jaswant Singh win the Lok Sabha polls. In 2011, GJM won three Assembly seats in the Darjeeling district and extended its support to an independent candidate, Wilson Champamari, who won the Dooars region elections.
In 2014, the TMC tried to win GJM’s support for its candidate Baichung Bhutia in the Darjeeling constituency. However, Gurung supported the BJP SS candidate Ahluwalia and helped him win the elections in the hope that the NDA government in the Center would eventually address the party’s demands.
In 2016, the GJM again won three seats in the Darjeeling Assembly and once again stepped up its demand for a separate state from Gorkhaland. However, this time, the TMC tried to break the unity of the hill people, engineering desertion. Following the violent upheaval in 2017, the TMC successfully divided the GJM, leading to the creation of two factions: one headed by Binoy Tamang who promised support to the TMC and the other led by Bimal Gurung who supported the BJP.
The Gurung faction helped BJP candidate Raju Bista win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, causing a massive jolt to TMC’s hope of conquering the hills.
Why does TMC need GJM’s support now?
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 18 seats in West Bengal, including 7 out of 8 electoral districts in North Bengal. The TMC went blank in North Bengal. Following its success, the saffron festival has made its way into these districts.
Recently, BJP National Chairman JP Nadda held several meetings with party leaders, MPs, MLA and other groups to come up with a plan for next year’s 2021 State Assembly elections. The party also set a goal of winning 50 out of 56 total Assembly seats from eight districts of North Bengal.
Finding themselves in a corner, the TMC employed party deputy Abhishek Banerjee and political analyst Prashant Kishor, who quietly held meetings with party officials in North Bengal recently. This was done to revive the match and gain some of the lost ground.
Winning the support of the GJM could jeopardize the BJP’s grand electoral plan in North Bengal before the 2021 elections. The BJP could weaken in the hills, while the support of the GJM could help the TMC win six seats in the Assembly in the districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
This would give a major boost to TMC’s plans for North Bengal, as winning seats in that region is essential to receiving an absolute majority in the 294-seat West Bengal Legislative Assembly. By scaling the hills of North Bengal, the ruling party will be in a position to send a message of unity across the state and sharpen its attack on the BJP for harboring divisive ideas about West Bengal.
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