Bimal puppet label on rival

Sanjeev Lama

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Jan 13, 2018, Darjeeling: The Bimal Gurung camp of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Saturday accused the Binay Tamang faction of being Trinamul "puppets" whose politics hinged on "stealing" the party flag and using the police.

The salvo came a day after Tamang - who heads the Gorkhland Territorial Administration (GTA) - accused Gurung of being a BJP "puppet" trying to fool the hill people with "stories" about leading a life of distress in the jungles for statehood. Gurung had resurfaced in Delhi on Thursday after months of hiding amid suggestions that he had the BJP's support.

"You say Bimal Gurung is a puppet of the BJP but the world knows you (Tamang) are a puppet of the TMC (Trinamul)," said a statement issued by Sanjeev Lama, assistant secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha (Gurung camp).

In the statement, posted by Gurung camp leader Roshan Giri on Saturday, Lama accused the Tamang lobby of spreading false news. "The Binay-Anit camp is trying to create confusion in the minds of the (hill) people," Lama said, adding that Gurung had not said he would "sit for talks with the Bengal chief minister" on Thursday.

Asked by a group of journalists he had met an undisclosed location in Delhi whether he was ready for talks with the Mamata Banerjee government, Gurung had said: "I am ready for dialogue. Dialogue is the way ahead." The comment was seen as a shift in his long-held stance of not engaging in talks with the Bengal government.

On Saturday, Lama's statement appeared to give the Centre primacy. "We are well aware that the role of the Centre is most crucial is forming Gorkhaland and there in no compulsion for us to sit for a dialogue with the Bengal government."

Slamming the Tamang camp, Lama said: "We suggest that if you want to do politics, you should carry the TMC flag and stop politics with a stolen flag (of the Morcha)."

Observers believe Gurung's camp realised the earlier statement suggesting a willingness for talks had hurt them.