Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's fissures exposed, Harka quits

TNN, September 19, KOLKATA/DARJEELING: Harka Bahadur Chhetri — Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's moderate face and considered close to Mamata Banerjee — severed ties with his party on Friday, saying he felt insulted by GJM chief Bimal Gurung's unilateral decision to get all three MLAs to resign. 

If Gurung had wanted to pressure Mamata as part of his blow-hot-blow-cold pre-election plot, it backfired. Taken by surprise, GJM indicated it will re-think the resignation issue over the weekend. 

Harka told reporters in the assembly around 9.30am, "I wish to remain an Independent candidate. The manner in which the decision was made (asking GJM MLAs to resign) without consulting me, I felt insulted. After all, I have done a lot for the party. It was a unilateral decision." Asked if he would quit Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), too, he said, "Being an MLA, I am also ex-officio member of GTA. But I was never called for any meeting in the last three years." On rumours of joining Trinamool Congress, he said, "I have no such intention. I wish to remain a MLA and work for the people of Kalimpong." 

On his meetings with CM Mamata Banerjee, Harka said, "She is the chief minister of the state. I will meet her 50 times if needed. But let me be clear, she has never broached the topic with me, neither have I. So there is no question of it now." When asked when he would formally resign from GJM, Harka shot back, "When was I formally inducted into the party? I don't have any formal letter." 

It was not until evening that GJM came out with its reaction. Party general secretary Roshan Giri said: "We learnt of his resignation from news reports. We will give our opinion only after we receive a formal resignation letter from him. As for talks about democracy, our party always believes in freedom." 

Around 7pm, Gurung said: "I have not received any official intimation. However, I would like to point out that before the assembly polls, on March 24, 2011, we held a meeting in Darjeeling Gymkhana where all potential MLA candidates were told that they would resign when the party asks them to. I am not aware what prompted him to make these statements. Besides, I have personally invited him to GTA meetings. The two other GJM attended, but he didn't. It is wrong. People come and go. Leaders come and go but what is important is the party and its commitment to people." 

Harka's decision coincides with Gurung meeting Union home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi along with BJP's Darjeeling MP S S Ahluwalia and Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma. In a long explanatory post on Facebook post, Gurung accused the Mamata government of "trying to divide the Hill communities" by creating separate development boards for Lepchas, Tamangs and Bhutias. 

On September 11, peeved with the state's "interference" in GTA matters, Gurung had announced that all three GJM MLAs would resign on September 18. None of the MLAs were present in that meeting. The date has since been postponed to September 21. 

Chhetri's resignation triggered strong reactions in the Hills. Govind Chhetri of CPRM said, "A public representative being asked to resign without being taken into confidence shows the highhandedness of GJM." Trinamool's Darjeeling secretary N B Khawa said Chhetri's resignation was a message about the GJM's functioning. "Chhetri was one of the pillars of GJM but was neither invited to any GTA meeting nor when GJM decided to ask their legislators to resign," he said. 

Chhetri was the only GJM leader to meet Mamata when she was in the Hills from September 14 to 16. Apparently, he had discussed the demand for converting Kalimpong into a district. Having taken a hard line stance, it will be very difficult for Gurung to make a climb-down especially because Chhetri — who acted as a bridge with Trinamool — isn't beside him. 

(With Deep Gazmer in Darjeeling)

Shared from Times of India by KalimNews in Kalimpong News at http://kalimpongonlinenews.blogspot.in/2015/09/gorkha-janamukti-morchas-fissures.html  and http://kalimpongnews.net/2015/09/19/gorkha-janamukti-morchas-fissures-exposed-harka-quits/