One of West Bengal’s most wanted men, Darjeeling leader Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), Bimal Gurung, appeared in Kolkata on Wednesday night, three years after he went into hiding and vowed to help the minister in boss Mamata Banerjee to win the assembly elections in another six months.
Accused by the state government under the anti-terrorism law of violence in the Darjeelng Hills, Gurung had been in hiding since 2017.
“I am no longer an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The central government, be it the Prime Minister or the Minister of the Interior of the Union, did not fulfill the commitment made to us. I was in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for our cause, but they did nothing. Mamata Banerjee, on the other hand, does what she says. In 2021 we will do everything possible to help her win the seats in the Darjeeling hill region, ”Gurung told the media at a hastily convened press conference at a hotel in central Kolkata.
Gurung’s supporters have supported the BJP in back-to-back Lok Sabha elections. The BJP won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat three times since 2009 by forging an alliance with the GJM. In 2019, the BJP had an alliance with the Gurung faction of the GJM, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and other smaller mountain parties. BJP’s Raju Bista won the seat.
“I say with pride that today I want to break with the NDA and in the next elections of the assembly we want to have an alliance with Mamata Banerjee and give an answer to the BJP,” said Gurung.
“In politics, there are no enemies or friends. Our demand is Gorkhaland and a permanent political solution. We will see which party addresses our problems and decide our strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, ”said the Gorkha leader.
Gurung, who founded the GJM that imposed a 104-day lockdown in the Darjeeling Hills in 2017 in demand of a separate state from Gorkhaland, has been on the run since being charged by the state under the Illicit Activity (Prevention) Act. (UAPA). ).
When asked if he was afraid of being arrested or had a meeting with TMC leaders or government officials before appearing in public in the state capital, Gurung said: “I am not a criminal. I am a political leader. If I am arrested, I will continue to speak out for our cause. I didn’t meet any TMC leaders. We may have a meeting in a day or two. ”
No TMC leaders commented on the development until 7pm.
The press conference was preceded by a two-hour drama. Gurung supporters in Darjeeling informed the media that he would meet journalists at Gorkha Bhawan in Salt Lake, on the eastern outskirts of Kolkata, at 5 p.m., after holding a secret meeting with some senior leaders of the ruler TMC.
Gurung arrived in Gorkha Bhawan around 4.30pm in a white luxury SUV with an unidentified person who was dressed in saffron-colored garb. However, Gorkha Bhawan’s staff who owe allegiance to Gurung’s rival faction in the GJM did not open the doors.
More than a dozen Calcutta police officers and men were present at the scene. They yelled at the staff, asking them to come out and open the doors. When no one answered, Gurung headed to Kolkata. His supporters said he would hold the press conference at a hotel in central Kolkata.
The failure of the Kolkata police to try to arrest Gurung, who is wanted under the anti-terror law for the violence that shook the Darjeeling Hills in 2017, indicated that TMC’s leadership has taken a soft stance in the lead up to the crucial assembly elections. .
Gurung’s closest deputy Roshan Giri signed the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) tripartite agreement in July 2011. GTA is the local autonomous body in the Darjeeling Hills, which is now headed by the faction led by Binoy Tamang of the GJM that supports the TMC. In November 2017, Gurung’s former lieutenant Tamang suspended him and his assistants in absentia.
Since 2009, the BJP has promised to find a permanent political solution to the long-standing demands of the people of Darjeeling, Siliguri, Terai and the Dooars region. The promises were also made in the BJP election manifestos in 2014 and 2019.
In the first week of October, the Union Ministry of the Interior (MHA) sent a letter to the state government and the Gurung-led faction of the GJM to attend a meeting in Delhi on October 7 to discuss “issues related to the administration Gorkhaland territory ”.
The state government skipped the meeting, but Gurung supporters attended and demanded a permanent political solution to the Gorkhaland problem.
“Gurung had been demanding the creation of Gorkhaland for years. We also want a solution to this problem. The Center tried to help the mountain people, but the TMC government did not cooperate. This is a tactical move by Mamata Banerjee before the polls. There are criminal cases pending against Gurung. You may think that this factor can be used as a lever, ”BJP State President Dilip Ghosh told the media.
“Mamata Banerjee feels that all is fair in love and war. That is why a wanted man can be seen in Calcutta in the presence of policemen. She is making a move purely in view of the assembly polls, ”said the president of the state Congress, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
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