Amid growing discontent in the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) faction led by Binoy Tamang, after Bimal Gurung resurfaced last week and pledged support to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), West Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to meet Binoy Tamang and Gorkha Territorial Administration chairperson Anit Thapa on Tuesday. On October 21, Bimal Gurung made a dramatic appearance in Kolkata and quit the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA, aligning with the ruling TMC.
What happened on October 21?
Making his first public appearance in three years, GJM leader Bimal Gurung broke ties with the National Democratic Alliance and said that the BJP had not fulfilled its promise of Gorkhaland; thereby extending his party’s support to the TMC for the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections due next year. Gurung had been absconding since 2017 after he was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with a grenade attack at Kalimpong Police station and an explosion in Darjeeling’s Chowk Bazaar area, during the 104-day shutdown demanding separate statehood for Gorkhas - Gorkhaland.
Is GJM important in West Bengal?
The GJM was formed in 2007 and has played a crucial role in West Bengal politics as it has a powerful role in the Darjeeling hills. In 2016, the GJM again won three assembly seats from Darjeeling and once again intensified its demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. But after the Gorkhaland demand agitation in 2017, GJM broke into two factions — one headed by Binoy Tamang that supported the TMC, and the other led by Bimal Gurung which supported the BJP. Now, by resurfacing Bimal Gurung has also supported the TMC.
Read more: CPI(M) open to Bengal alliance with Congress
{{/usCountry}}Read more: CPI(M) open to Bengal alliance with Congress
{{/usCountry}}Does the TMC need GJM’s support?
With the TMC winning the support of the GJM, it could jeopardise the BJP’s 2021 electoral plans in north Bengal. For the BJP, the region has been very crucial as in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 18 seats in West Bengal which included 7 of the 8 constituencies in north Bengal. On the other hand, the TMC did not win a single seat in north Bengal. This is why Mamata Banerjee has welcomed Bimal Gurung which has irked the Tamang-led faction of the GJM as it has always supported the TMC. Subsequently, supporters of Tamang took out rallies in the Hills opposing Gurung’s return. The Binay Tamang faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, currently enjoying political control over Darjeeling and has vowed not to allow Gurung to enter the Hills.