“I want to see Mamata Banerjee as chief minister for the third time in 2021,” says GJM founder Bimal Gurung.
Three years after being in hiding, Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) founder Bimal Gurung made a public appearance in Kolkata on Wednesday and announced that he had severed all ties with the BJP. Extending an olive branch to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Gurung said that the BJP had done nothing for the Darjeeling hills.
Also read: Who is Bimal Gurung?
“I want to see Mamata Banerjee as chief minister for the third time in 2021,” Gurung said, adding that she wanted to ally with the Trinamool Congress in the 2021 Assembly elections to “give an adequate response to the BJP.”
Longtime ally
Gurung has been a BJP ally and member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for over a decade and supported BJP candidates for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in the past, including in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. BJP nominee Raju Bista won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat by a margin of more than 4 lakh of votes in 2019.
“The Prime Minister or the Minister of the Interior has not fulfilled the commitment made to us in the last six years. While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has kept all the promises she made to each group or organization, ”Mr. Gurung told the reporter in Kolkata.
Also read: Bimal Gurung reloaded under UAPA
In a dramatic turn of events, the GJM founder, along with his close assistant Roshan Giri, was first seen outside the Gorkha Bhawan in Salt Lake, but when authorities refused to let him in, he held a press conference in a city hotel.
In 2017, Mr. Gurung led a violent upheaval and a 100-day shutdown in the Darjeeling Hills over the demand for a separate state for Gorkhaland. After being searched in several cases, including under the Illicit Activities (Prevention) Act, Mr. Gurung had to leave the Darjeeling Hills.
Another faction of the GJM led by Benoy Tamang prepared for the Trinamool Congress and now has control of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the regional autonomous body of the Darjeeling Hills.
When asked about the cases against him, Mr. Gurung said that they were political cases. “I am not a terrorist or a murderer. These are political cases and I will fight them politically, ”he said.
Also read: Gurung’s No-show in Darjeeling
Reiterating his commitment to the Gorkhaland issue, Mr. Gurung said: “Even if I am arrested, I will be happy to fight for Gorkhaland from behind bars.”
The development, which may have serious ramifications for West Bengal politics, particularly in the Darjeeling hills, comes days after the Union Interior Ministry held a meeting to discuss the problems of the GTA region. An invitation was sent to Mr. Gurung and representatives of his party also participated in the meeting.
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