News Analysis India

Tag: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha

  • Bimal Gurung on fast, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha urges Mamata to consider demands 

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Friday urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to look into their demands of postponing the election to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), which administers the Darjeeling Hills, and expand its jurisdiction as the hunger strike of party chief Bimal Gurung entered the third day.

    Gurung has been on hunger strike at the GJM’s office in Singamari in Darjeeling since Wednesday.

    “Bimal-ji is fighting for the rights of the people of the Hills. His indefinite hunger strike entered its third day, and it will continue to press for the inclusion of 396 mouzas in the jurisdiction of GTA,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said.

    “I have written a letter to the chief minister, requesting her to look into it personally,” he added.

    The West Bengal government on Friday issued a notification, announcing the GTA polls on June 26.

    The elections to the GTA were last held in 2012.

    The GJM had swept the polls, winning all 45 seats.

    The GJM has been demanding postponement of the election until the Memorandum of Proposal (MoP) submitted by it is implemented.

    Among others, it demands the inclusion of 396 mouzas in the GTA and transfer of some departments.

  • Former GJM leader Binay Tamang joins Trinamool ahead of GTA polls

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Months ahead of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) election, former GJM leader Binay Tamang, who had quit the Hills-based party earlier this year, joined the ruling TMC on Friday.

    Rohit Sharma, an ex-legislator of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), also followed suit.

    Both of them were handed over TMC flags by state ministers Moloy Ghatak and Bratya Basu.

    Asked about his stance on the Gorkhaland issue, Tamang said development of Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills tops the list of his priorities.

    “Development of Hills is my top priority. The BJP is trying to use the statehood issue to fool the people of the Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Since 2009, the party has been saying that it supports the Gorkhaland demand, but no step was so far taken in this regard.”

    “They (BJP leaders) have also tried to divide Bengal, but this will not be allowed. We are united. We are joining the TMC to work for the development of the Hills,” he said.

    Describing Mamata Banerjee as a “dynamic and visionary leader”, Tamang said he would like to see her as a “prime ministerial candidate in 2024”.

    Tamang further said that “if GJM founder Bimal Gurung, former party leader Anit Thapa and others want to join the All India Trinamool Congress, they are most welcome”.

    Gurung had earlier this year pledged his support to the TMC.

    Welcoming the two into the party, Ghatak said the move made by Tamang and Sharma would significantly impact the politics of the hills.

    Reacting to the development, the BJP said it was on expected lines as Tamang had been working with the state’s ruling party for the last few years.

    The picturesque Darjeeling has repeatedly witnessed violent agitation over the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, the latest being in 2017, when a 104-day-long strike over the issue brought the region to a standstill.

    The strike also led to a split in the GJM, with Binay Tamang, once a deputy to the outfit’s supremo Gurung, taking over the party’s reins and expelling the boss.

    Although the GJM faction led by Gurung continued to align with the BJP, the other camp, headed by Tamang, joined hands with the ruling TMC in the state.

    Gurung, who had been in hiding for three years, however, resurfaced in Kolkata in October last year to lend its support to the TMC after quitting the NDA.

    Polls to the 45-member GTA are likely to be held early next year.

    The last election to the semi-autonomous council was held in 2012.

    Tamang’s joining the TMC comes at a time when a section of BJP leaders have renewed the demand for Gorkhaland and also sought to carve out north Bengal as a centrally-administered Union territory, citing disparity in development and injustice to the people of the region.

  • Bengal polls: What did BJP do for Gorkha community? asks Bimal Gurung

    By ANI
    DARJEELING: As polling got underway in North Bengal on Saturday, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung asked the BJP what has the party done for the Gorkha community.

    Speaking to ANI, Gurung said, “They (BJP) do not have people’s support in Bengal. They do not have much influence on ground zero. How can they form the government? Politics is not possible through violence, vandalism and shooting. Politics should be simple.”

    “I supported BJP for 15 years but what did it do for my community? Modi had assured us and made a commitment, it has been six-seven years now but it is yet to be completed,” he added.

    Voting for the fifth phase of West Bengal assembly polls began at 7 am on Saturday amid tight security.

    Out of the 45 constituencies, where polling is being held in the fifth phase, 13 constituencies are from North Bengal including five in Darjeeling, one in Kalimpong, and seven in Jalpaiguri.

    The most dynamic political development in North Bengal during this election is the switching of camp by GJM leader Bimal Gurung from BJP to TMC. Gurung, the man who has been spearheading the Gorkha movement, helped the BJP to get a foothold in this region is now with the state’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

    North Bengal has witnessed a lot of socio-political turbulence like the Gorkhaland movement. A separate state of ‘Gorkhaland’ has been a long-standing demand of Nepali-speaking Gorkhas since 1907 on the grounds that they are culturally and ethnically different from West Bengal.

    In the current scenario, GTA is the local autonomous body in the Darjeeling hills, which is headed by the Binoy Tamang-led faction of the GJM that supports the TMC.

    Apart from the political disturbance, the adversities of tea garden workers and lack of employment opportunities are the key issues in the region.

    The BJP has promised a political solution to the Gorkha issue. It has also promised an increase in daily wages for tea workers to Rs 350.

    Caste card is also in the fray as BJP is trying to woo the ethnic and tribal population of the region with the promise of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

    On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is counting upon the development and welfare works of her government.

    The most talked-about contests are in three seats — Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong. Here the two factions of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) one led by Bimal Gurung and the other by his former deputy Binay Tamang are in a direct contest.

    In the Darjeeling constituency, Pemba Tshering is the candidate for GJM (Gurung) and Keshav Raj Sharma for GJM (Tamang). BJP has fielded Neeraj Zimba Tamang from the seat. Gautam Raj Rai is the CPI(M) candidate from Darjeeling.

    In these three constituencies, TMC has not fielded its candidate as GJM is backing the TMC. The GJM had won these seats in the last two Assembly elections.

  • TMC releases first list for 8-phase Bengal polls, Mamata to contest only from Nandigram

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday released the list of  291 Trinamool Congress candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls and confirmed that she will only fight from the Nandigram constituency.

    The incumbent Trinamool Congress (TMC) has left three seats for its ally Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

    Addressing a press conference here, Banerjee said she will contest from Nandigram and not from the Bhowanipore constituency, from where she has been the sitting MLA since 2011.

    “We are the first political party to announce the candidate list. Today, we are releasing a list of 291 candidates, which includes 50 women, 79 SCs, 17 STs and 42 Muslim candidates. On three seats of north Bengal, we are not putting up our candidates. In three seats — Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong — Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) will contest the elections and whoever wins will support us,” she informed.

    “I will contest from Nandigram as I stick to my words. From Bhowanipore constituency, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay will be contesting in the upcoming Assembly elections,” she added.

    The TMC chief said the party was not able to provide seats to many because they have to bring new candidates forward.

    Suvendu Adhikari is the current MLA from Nandigram. Adhikari, once a close aide of Banerjee and TMC leader has now switched to BJP in December, last year.

    West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes in the state will take place on May 2.