GJM president Bimal Gurung steadily losing ground in the Hills

MP, 10 October 2017, Darjeeling: GJM president Bimal Gurung, who is on the run, seems to be steadily losing control over the Hills with rebel leaders Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa steadily breaking political grounds. 

Incidentally, with the renewed agitation and the 104-day long bandh along with the unrest in the Hills, the GJM, the party in power in the Hills, suffered a major blow. The party witnessed a vertical split with Tamang and Thapa parting ways with Gurung. 

Later Tamang was nominated the Chairman of the Board of Administrators (BOA) to run the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration

and Thapa the vice-chairman, further putting Gurung in a tight spot. 

Gurung, who has been implicated in a number of cases and has been charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, is on the run. He has a lookout notice along with an arrest warrant in his name. 

Recently, 19 out of 23 Councillors of the Kurseong Municipality pledged support to Tamang and Thapa.

On the heels of Kurseong, the Councillors of Darjeeling Municipality held a meeting on October 8. Mingur Yolmo, GJM Councillor of Ward 4 of the Darjeeling Municipality stated: "On Sunday we held a meeting. 19 Councillors were present out of the 32 in the meeting. We decided that the Municipal board will be formed under Binay Tamang. We support his democratic movement for Gorkhaland. Three others have pledged support to Tamang over the phone."

The TMC has already formed a board at the Mirik Municipality and with that the only Municipality left is the Kalimpong Municipality. 

Eyeing at the Kalimpong Municipality, Anit Thapa arrived at Kalimpong on Tuesday while Tamang will be visiting Kalimpong on Wednesday. 

"Bimal Gurung is steadily losing ground in the Hills. People are coming out in our support," stated Thapa in Kalimpong. 

"We support leaders who want to reinstate peace and normality through the process of dialogues. Tamang and Thapa have been constantly holding talks with the government and want to resolve the impasse through dialogues," stated Bengal Tourism Minister Goutam Deb.

(Source & Courtesy: http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/gjm-president-bimal-gurung-steadily-losing-ground-in-the-hills-265921)