Gorkhaland: West Bengal BJP President hails Gurung, calls Binay Tamang a 'betrayer'

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh

Romita Datta Sengupta  |Neha Vashishth| India Today |October 4, 2017 :West Bengal's BJP President Dilip Ghosh has made his party's alignment with the GJM clear by calling Bimal Gurung, the undisputed leader of the Hill people and the rebel GJM leader, Binay Tamang as a 'betrayer'.

Tamang, with the backing of the state government, has become a self-appointed leader, as Gurung has not been able to make a public appearance because of the multiple criminal and UAPA charges against him.

Dilip Ghosh is currently touring the Hills to read the pulse of the people, in the wake of resentment growing against the BJP Lok Sabha MP, S.S.Ahluwalia, who stayed away from the Hills and avoided voicing the concerns and demands of the Hill people to the central leaders during the three-month old strike.

Despite GJM being an ally of the BJP, the latter showed little interest in intervention in the tussle between the state and GJM over separate state of Gorkhaland demand.

Questions were being raised over BJP's alliance commitment at 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha, where the party had supported creation of smaller states.

As the Hills burned and violence erupted, the BJP's opportunistic silence was criticised. The matter reached the central leadership and the BJP national President came down heavily on the state leaders for not visiting the Hills even once during the volatile period.

Ghosh was asked to visit the Hills and ease out the discontent and resentment brewing against the party.

Just after reaching New Jalpaiguri station, Ghosh hailed Gurung as a popular leader. He said the Hill people were with Gurung since he was fighting for Gorkhaland, which was the ultimate aspiration of the Gorkhas.

Ghosh also asserted that Tamang is working as a government agent. He was trying to disturb the peace with the government for his vested interest.

The BJP leader is visiting several other GJM leaders in the Hills and the families of those died over the last three months.

There is also a possibility of a secret meeting between Ghosh and Gurung as the former is visiting Sikkim, where the GJM leader is suspected to be absconding.