Bimal slams rivals, swears by statehood

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT,  Jan 25, 2018, Kalimpong: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung on Thursday accused his rivals of doing the state government's bidding by pitching for another autonomous body like the DGHC and GTA and said that, unlike them, he will settle for nothing short of Gorkhaland.

Gurung, in a release, also accused a section of the media of helping the government by spreading lies that he was willing to settle for such an autonomous arrangement.

"I will never compromise on our demand for Gorkhaland. I am not seeking any stop-gap settlements, or short-term autonomous arrangements... The news media is helping Bengal to perpetuate this lie," he alleged.

Gurung said the experiments of autonomous bodies like the DGHC and GTA had failed miserably and the only solution lay in the formation of a separate state by bifurcating Bengal. "Bimal Gurung will never compromise on the aspirations of our people, and we will continue our struggle for Gorkhaland state using the democratic means as prescribed under the constitution of our great nation," the release said.

The Morcha president's comments come in the wake of his rival Binay Tamang recent statement that he was pursuing a new arrangement to solve the twin issues of Gorkha identity and security.

The GNLF, too, had recently said that talks were on to find a permanent solution to the problem of the Gorkhas.

Gurung further said that the inclusion of the region in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in lieu of a separate state was also not a solution.

"(This) is an agenda that has been pushed by West Bengal since the time of Subash Ghisingh. Today, once again those who are doing their bidding for Bengal by accepting frivolous posts and funds are pushing forward the same agenda," he alleged.

Such remarks by the Morcha president have invited reactions from GNLF and Trinamul.

This is more because in recent years, Bimal had hardly spoken about GNLF but was more critical of Trinamul.

"Gorkha Janmukti Morcha should first decide on their leadership. Only a few days back, one of their leaders addressed a public meeting in Sukna and claimed his supremacy in the party. Now, another leader has come up within a press release and trying to prove his sincerity for Gorkhaland. It is utter confusing," said Mahendra Chhetri, general secretary, GNLF.

Chhetri, who is also the vice-chairman of the Hill Area Development Committee formed by the state, lashed out at Gurung for creating confusion among residents of the hills.

"If somebody indirectly blames us for compromising with the statehood demand and speaking about Sixth Schedule, I would like to know why, the same man had expressed willingness to sit in talks with the state," he said.

Trinamul leaders in hills were also critical at Gurung. "He, along with BJP, is trying to destabilise the hills again. He had been a story teller for past 10 years and has only articulated fictional narratives. People no longer believe in such tales and want peace and development in hills," said Binny Sharma, spokesperson, Darjeeling district (hill) Trinamul.

Officer murder charge

The CID has filed the chargesheet in the murder of Amitabha Malik, a sub-inspector of police who fell to bullets fired allegedly by associates of Gurung, during a raid near Darjeeling last year.

Additional reporting by Avijit Sinha in Siliguri