TMC, BJP spar over photo of Gurung at Nadda event

Deep Gazmer & Rohit Khanna | TNN | 9 March 2020 | Darjeeling / Kolkata: Trinamool Congress and Bengal BJP on Sunday sparred after a photo on social media showed Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri at the marriage reception of BJP president J P Nadda’s son Girish in Delhi on Friday. Gurung and Giri are functionaries of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Gurung faction)who are absconding.

Trinamool’s Lok Sabha chief whip Kalyan Banerjee said: “... He is accused of sedition, and also in the killing of a police officer... What message is BJP trying to send by standing alongside a person who is running away from law?”

Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said: “Bimal Gurung and Binoy Tamang are accused of the same offence. One is an absconder and the other is made GTA chairperson. One needs to align with Trinamool here to evade law. I also have 50 cases against me. Does that mean anything? He is our alliance partner and we will continue to meet him.”

“There is a total 29,000 cases registered against BJP leaders and workers in Bengal,” Ghosh added. “If we start counting such cases, then we cannot even step outside our homes.”

BJP’s Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said: “Similar cases were registered by police against his aides Binoy Tamang and Anit Thapa. Tamang was made GTA chief after he switched sides. How can we term anyone a convict as long as the case in pending in court?” Gurung was seen in public after almost two-and-a-half years.