Binay Tamang to head GTA

KalimNews, Kalimpong, 27 September 2013: Gorkhaland Territorial Administration will resume its function as the new Chief Executive is elected today.

35 GTA members present in the GTA Sabha held today elected Binay Tamang in the post of Chief Executive. The function of the GTA was stalled after Bimal Gurung resigned from the post of CE.

He was arrested on 22 August 2013 and denied bail in the Sibchu case of 8th February 2011. 
On 26th September, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court of Darjeeling granted bail to GTA member Satish Pokhrel arrested along with Binay Tamang. It rejected the applications of 3 GTA members Binay Tamang, Kalyan Dewan and Mahendra Pradhan. 
The other GTA members in the judicial custody are Prabha Chettri, Anush Thapa, Yogendra Rai, Anit Kumar Thapa and Neema Tamang. It is expected that other GJM leaders including GTA members will be released soon. 
Bimal Gurung absented from meeting of todays' GTA Sabha.

It was presumed by one and all that GJM will attend the GTA election meeting of Chief executive on 27th. Indian express had also reported that Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is likely to attend the meeting to elect a new Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) chief though the Gorkhaland State Joint Action Committee (GSJAC) has said it would reject GJM if the latter decides to return to GTA. 

While GJM president Bimal Gurung will take a final call on attending the GTA meet tomorrow, it is learnt most GJM central committee members and all GTA sabhasads voted in favour of the GTA recently reported Indian Express.

"Tomorrow is the final GTA meeting for the election of the chief executive. If we refuse to take part in the election process, the government would appoint an administrator and run the GTA. Moreover, if the government wants it can bring some changes to the GTA Act as well. So, there is no point for a major political party to leave the administrative body and let it be ruled by the government. We are not in favour of handing over the GTA to the state government as it will not bode good for us. The final decision will be taken by Bimal Gurung tomorrow," said a central committee member of GJM and a GTA sabhasad, reported the Indian Express. 

It also added that meanwhile, the GSJAC has made it clear that the GJM would not remain its constituent if it joined the GTA. "We are not an organisation which keeps changing stand. We have always maintained that the GTA must be scrapped. The GJM leaders have also agreed that the GTA is defunct as the people of the hills have rejected it . And if they attend the GTA election meeting tomorrow and join the GTA, the GJM would lose its moral right to be part of the GSJAC," said GSJAC chairman Enos Das Pradhan.