Bimal lays claim to ‘original’ Morcha flag- deciding to use “original flag” from Friday, January 1, 2021

Till Dec 31, 2020 the Gurung camp of the Morcha was using a flag with Gurung’s image

The confusion over the flag will add to the animosity between the two factions of the Morcha, which are at odds against each other.Telegraph file picture

Vivek Chhetri   |   TT   |   Darjeeling   |   01.01.21 :  A unique confusion is likely to become a part of politics in Darjeeling hills with Bimal Gurung deciding to use Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s “original flag” from Friday, January 1, 2021.

Till the last day of 2020, the Gurung camp of the Morcha was using a flag with Gurung’s image. The Morcha headed by their rivals Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa was using the “original flag.”

“From New Year’s Day we will use the original flag that we have been using since the birth of the party in 2007,” said Gurung. “We were using this flag (with Gurung’s picture) because of elections.”

A court had earlier ordered the two Morcha factions to fight the Darjeeling Assembly bypoll separately and thus two variants of the flag represented these two factions.

“Now with supporters of both the factions being directed to use the same flag, there will definitely be some confusion,” said a hill resident. Both the factions are now allies of Trinamul — the Tamang faction since 2017 and the Gurung faction since October 2020 after leaving long-time allies BJP — but bitter rivals too.

The confusion over the flag will add to the animosity between the two factions of the Morcha, which are at odds against each other.

On Wednesday evening, there were allegations that Bimal Gurung camp tried to capture Binay Tamang’s party office at Lebong.

Leaders and supporters of Tamang camp said that they managed to take “control” of the party office within hours.

The animosity between the two factions can be felt through the speeches of leaders from both the parties. 

The Binay Tamang camp has decided to hold a public meeting of the youth wing at Tukvar, considered a bastion of Gurung.

Gurung, too, will be going to Kalimpong on January 7.

This is not the first instance of Gurung making changes to the original flag. He changed the way Gorkha is spelt in Nepali in the flag in 2016.

(Courtesy & source- The Telegraph- https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/bimal-gurung-lays-claim-to-original-morcha-flag/cid/1802226)