Senior GJM hand switches loyalty to Tamang camp

TNN, 9 November 2017, Darjeeling: Rebel Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang had yet another feather in his cap as party assistant secretary and one of the founding members, Jyoti Kumar Rai, dumped president Bimal Gurung to switch over to the Tamang camp.

The pro-Gorkhaland agitation, including the strike that started in June, lasted for 105 days but along the way it was marred by violence, arson, bomb blasts and deaths of 13 Gorkhaland supporters and a police officer. Rai, while explaining his stand, said he was against violence.

Rai, a former GTA sabhasad from the Nagari-Dhajey constituency, said: "The party had said that the statehood agitation would be on democratic and non-violent lines. Not only me but also the people extended full support to the movement. However, along the way the agitation took a violent turn with widespread violence and arson, which I was completely against.

"Such was the situation that people could not come out openly on the streets to support the agitation out of fear. Also party leaders who were supposed to lead the movement failed to come out in the open."

The GJM assistant secretary added that he was disillusioned with the way the BJP-led central government handled the situation inspite of the party being a political ally of GJM. "Like others in the party and the people of the Hills, I was expecting the Centre to extend support to us in one way or the other. Unfortunately, the Centre betrayed us inspite of BJP being our ally," Rai said.

Gurung, however, places trust on BJP and the Narendra Modi government. In his recent statements through audio messages from undisclosed locations, the BJP president has asked people to bear with the Centre that would definitely make some announcement in favour of the Hills people.

In yet another development, the Binay Tamang faction of GJM's Nari Morcha shifted its office to a new location in Chowk Bazar and also elected a new committee. Nari Morcha president and Bimal Gurung's wife Asha Gurung who has gone into hiding didn't figure in the new committee.