GNLF will support Trinamool in Darjeeling

Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), the body led by Subhas Ghising, will support Trinamool Congress in Darjeeling in the Lok Sabha polls.

Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), the body led by Subhas Ghising, will support Trinamool Congress in Darjeeling in the Lok Sabha polls.

Ending days of speculation in West Bengal, GNLF announced on Friday that it will throw its weight behind the ruling party of Bengal. Trinamool has nominated former India soccer captain Baichung Bhutia as its candidate.

This move will raise interest level in this constituency as Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), the dominant political force in the hills of North Bengal, has already announced it will support the BJP candidate S S Ahluwalia.

In a press conference, GNLF central committee leader Biren Lama said, "Till the sixth schedule Bill which is pending in the Parliament is passed, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) has to be reconstituted."

DGHC was a autonomous body set up in 1988 to usher in autonomy in the hills. It was replaced by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in 2012. Bimal Gurung's GJM now runs the GTA.

Incidentally, GNLF chief Subhas Ghising was ousted from the hills by the GJM in early 2008.

While GJM wants the separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of Darjeeling and parts of Dooars, GNLF wants Sixth Schedule Status for the Darjeeling hills.

Sixth Schedule gives a special status to the tribals and ensures safety and security for their culture and tradition.