There is no question of Gorkhaland, said Saugata Roy, leader of the TMC. (FILE)
Calcutta:
The TMC on Thursday ruled out the possibility of supporting Gorkhaland’s request, a day after welcoming GJM supremo Bimal Gurung into his party, with the outfit out of the NDA, accusing the BJP-led dispensation of not keeping its promises. .
Saugata Roy, head of the TMC and MP for Lok Sabha, said Gurung joined the party led by Mamata Banerjee, feeling cheated by the BJP.
“There is no question of Gorkhaland. We have rejected this request for a long time. Bimal Gurung felt cheated by the BJP, so he decided to join us. We welcome him and together we will fight against it. BJP, ”Roy said.
Echoing him, a minister in the government of North Bengal, who declined to be named, said: “Gorkhaland can never be a reality”.
“Together we will work for the comprehensive development of the hills and the state,” said the minister.
Mr Gurung, after joining the TMC, clarified on Wednesday that there was “no turning back” on Gorkhaland’s request – a separate state – and said his outfit, ahead of polls from 2024 Lok Sabha, would align with any party that supports the cause.
Leader Gorkha, who had been on the run since 2017 following a three-month unrest in Darjeeling at the behest of a separate state, resigned from the NDA, stressing that the Saffron party has “failed to find a permanent solution “for the Hills.
The BJP state unit, following the announcement, asked the TMC to clarify its position on Gorkhaland. According to GJM sources, however, the trigger for the breakdown of the 12-year alliance between the BJP and the
The Gurung-led training was prompted by the BJP’s growing proximity to the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and its attempt to launch a membership campaign in the hills.
“The BJP was trying to come to an agreement with GNLF, after the 2019 assembly bypassed in the hills. The GJM could not present any candidate because all its senior officers were in hiding. GNLF chief Neeraj Zimba challenged Darjeeling’s polls on a BJP ticket and won the seat.
“Since then, the BJP has been trying to spread its wings in the hills. It has not gone well with the Gurung,” said senior Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader.
According to a TMC leader, the party was in talks with the Binay Tamang (faction) of the GJM to ensure it gets along with Gurung’s organization, ahead of the 2021 elections.
The party led by Mamata Banerjee hopes that the new political realignment will have a “far-reaching political impact” on the region of North Bengal, which has 54 assembly segments, and where the TMC had vacated in the latest polls from Lok Sabha, he explained. .
PTI sources within the state’s ruling party said the latest development would change several terrain equations in North Bengal in its favor, as Gurung has influence in 12 to 14 seats in the assembly and holds an influence on 11 Gorkha communities, which together are a decisive factor in 18-20 of the 54 assembly seats, spread across Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar.
“The GJM will play an important role in helping us win these seats and stop the march of the BJP in the region. Gurung has a strong influence on the tea garden workers,” said the TMCcleader.
Building on its alliance with various social groups and the GJM, the BJP made deep inroads in North Bengal, once considered a stronghold of Congress and TMC, and won seven of Lok Sabha’s eight seats, including the parliamentary seat of Darjeeling for the third time in a row, in the 2019 general elections.
The GJM won three seats in the Darjeeling region in the last Assembly polls. He also helped the BJP secure a seat in Dooars and provided tacit support to the TMC in other constituencies.
Picturesque Darjeeling had witnessed violent unrest on several occasions over the demand for a separate state, the most recent being in June 2017, when the hills saw a 104-day strike over the issue.
The unrest also led to a split within the GJM, with Binay Tamang, formerly deputy to the outfit’s supremo Gurung, taking the reins of the party and expelling the boss.
Although the GJM faction led by Gurung continued to align with the BJP, the other side, led by Tamang, joined the ruling TMC in the state.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
