Gurung suspends his 54-day march- WHAT NEXT Everything hinges on crucial meet with Union home minister Rajnath Singh.... THOUGH GURUNG AND THE GJM ARE BANKING ON THE BJP REGARDING GORKHALAND, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT SINGH WILL MAKE A FIRM COMMITMENT

HT, 26 Nov 2015, SILIGURI: Will he be forced to continue walking 9,000 km for Gorkhaland or withdraw his march after coming back from Delhi with an assurance from Union home minister Rajnath Singh?

Bi mal Gu rung, Gork ha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president and the chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, who on Wednesday embarked on a Delhi visit after suspending his 54-day-long Gorkhaland awareness march, is likely to meet Singh on Friday.

Though Singh ,who returned from China on Tuesday, would remain busy dealing with other serious national issues, sources said he would meet Gurung and his team in a few days.

Though Gurung and the GJM are banking on the BJP with regard to the formation of Gorkhaland, it is unlikely that Singh will make a commitment. Gurung on Tuesday told reporters that during his meeting with Singh he would raise the issue of continuous interference of the state government in the functioning of the GTA which the GJM claims is in contravene to the GTA agreement signed in July 2011. Gurung, who started his long march in Darjeeling hills on October 2, has been reiterating that he is committed to the cause of Gorkhaland and would not rest till a separate state in the hills is created. He has been claiming that the GTA has failed due to the interference of the state government.

Gurung’s long march came in the wake of the resignation of Harka Bhadur Chettri, GJM Kalimpong MLA from the party. Chettri who had defied Gurung’s order to resign as an MLA has been alleging accusing Gurung of fooling the people.

Chettri’s move and his demand for a separate Kalimpong district has caused considerable damage to GJM, particularly in Kalimpong subdivision and Gurung’s decision to walk 9000 km is also seen as a damage control move.

Gurung’s relay march which he termed as Gorkhaland awareness march at a time when the GJM’s relation with the state government and chief minister Mamata Banerjee is at its nadir so far has failed to draw the state government’s and the Centre’s attention.

Though Gurung’s meeting with the Union home minister was planned for long, it was not happening for one reason or the other. And every time Singh’s preoccupation and other engagements were cited as the reason.

Gurung’s Delhi visit, one day before the commencement of Parliament’s Winter Session, is aimed at exerting pressure on the BJP leaders to live up to their promises. The BJP won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in 2009 and 2014 with GJM’s support.

The BJP in its election manifesto in 2009 and 2014 said the party will sympathetically examine and appropriately consider the long-pending demands of the Gorkhas, the Adivasis and other people of Darjeeling district and the Dooars region. The GJM is also banking on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement made during election campaign during which he said the dream of the Gorkhas is his dream.

But it is unlikely that the BJP would take the huge risk of advocating for Gorkhaland when it is eyeing the 2016 assembly election in Bengal. A senior BJP leader said Singh is not in a position to give any positive answer to Gurung with regard to Gorkhaland formation.