Switch to Trinamul continues

Morcha leaders and members receive Trinamul flags from minister Aroop Biswas at Malbazar on Friday. Picture by Biplab Basak

TT, Jalpaiguri: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha suffered a fresh setback in the Dooars on Friday, this time on the western region, as several leaders and workers of the party joined Trinamul in Malbazar.

The defection by these leaders and workers came within 24 hours of the first setback. On Thursday, most of the leaders and supporters of the Morcha based in Alipurduar district had joined Trinamul at a public meeting at Jaigaon.

State minister and Trinamul leader Aroop Biswas was present at both the meetings and welcomed the new entrants to the party.

Sandeep Chhetri, the former secretary of the Dooars committee of the Morcha and also a central committee member of the party, who had joined Trinamul on Thursday, said ignorance of the Morcha leadership was the key issue that they had defected to Trinamul.

"Bimal Gurung has not done anything for the Dooars residents. Not a single village of Dooars has been included in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, as promised by the leaders earlier. Also, the division among leaders in the hills has left us confused. That is why we have decided to join Trinamul and work for development," said Chhetri.

The public meeting was held at the railway colony ground in Malbazar. Over 10,000 people attended the meeting.

Another Morcha leader from the Dooars said they have been "ditched" by the BJP.

"We worked for the party's candidates in the elections and the party even managed to secure an Assembly seat in the Dooars. But during the agitation, as many of us were arrested and put behind bars, not a single BJP leader turned up to help us to express solidarity with us. The party has never extended help to any of those families who lost their dear ones during different phases of the agitation since 2007," said the leader.

Among others who joined Trinamul on Friday were Pinki Chhetri, the president of the Gorkha Janmukti Nari Morcha's western Dooars unit, Krishna Baraily, the chief advisor of the Morcha's Dooars unit, Manojit Baraily, a central committee member, Yashika Sharma and Tara Tamang - both elected members of Bagrakot panchayat, Narbahadur Rai, a prominent leader in western Dooars.