Tamang camp set for Kolkata talks- The meeting will take place at Nabanna on 3rd at 3pm

Many are speculating that the Kolkata meeting could have been called to bring about a truce between the Tamang and Bimal Gurung camps of the Morcha, leaders of the Tamang faction here maintained that it was a meeting to discuss peace in the Hills

SNS, DARJEELING, 1 NOVEMBER 2020 : The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (Binoy Tamang faction) today maintained that their leaders, Mr Tamang and Anit Thapa,would be attending a meeting called by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Though many are speculating that the Kolkata meeting could have been called to bring about a truce between the Tamang and Bimal Gurung camps of the Morcha, leaders of the Tamang faction here maintained that it was a meeting to discuss peace in the Hills.

"Our party leadership was invited a week back for talks on how peace and tranquility can be maintained in the Hills as well as to disscuss the current political situation of north Bengal. The dates had, however, not been fixed due to the Pujas and due to Mr Tamang's personal reasons," Morcha (Tamang camp) leader Keshav Raj Pokhrel said today.

"The meeting has now been called for the 3rd of this month and our President Binoy Tamang and General Secretary Anit Thapa will attend the talks. The meeting will take place at Nabanna at 3pm and the expected departure of our leaders for Kolkata will be tomorrow," he added.

The meeting comes at a time when the leader of the other faction, Bimal Gurung, appeared in Kolkata after three years in hiding recently and announced his support to the Trinamul Congress in the Assembly elections next year. Following the development, the Tamang camp has taken to the streets to publicly demonstrate against Mr Gurung, maintaining that they should not disturb the peace here.

On the other hand, Mr Tamang said that the Kolkata meeting was being held on the present political situation of the Hills and that whatever statement he had to make would be done officially from Kolkata after the meeting.

He did not want to comment on questions on Mr Gurung.

(https://epaper.thestatesman.com/2876686/Siliguri-The-Statesman/02-END-NOVEMBER-2020#page/2/3)