Political Crisis in Darjeeling- Opposition Blames Bimal for Harka and Trilok Resignations

Darjeeling- Top leaders of both the Hill Trinamul Congress (TMC) and the All India Gorkha League (AIGL), have blamed Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) chief Bimal Gurung for the resignation of two Hill MLAs from the party.

While Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chettri quit the party on 18 September, Dewan quit the party as well as the state Assembly on Monday.

Pratap Khati, the spokesperson for the AIGL alleged that Gurung is not sincere with the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland and that an intellectual person as Trilok Dewan must have realized it.

“Sensible people are resigning from the party. Other intellectual persons will also step down in the coming days. This proves that there is no writ of Bimal Gurung within the party,” he said.

Binny Sharma, the top leader of the Hill TMC, said, “At least now the people have started realizing the truth–what and who Bimal Gurung is. Now they know that they were in the wrong place. The GJMM was created out of a mere fit of emotional wave.”

Asked whether the two former MLAs of Kalimpong and Darjeeling will be joining the TMC, Sharma said, “Nothing like that. But if they want to join, they are most welcome.”

Trilok Dewan himself claimed on Monday that there is no democracy in the GJMM, and further said that the two MLAs’ resignation from the party should be taken as a wake-up call by the GJMM. According to Dewan, although he had been appointed the Chief Advisor of the party, he was never consulted on important decisions.

“I was like a souvenir that was there only for show. I had no role to play in the party,” he said on Monday.

He further claimed that Gurung is always surrounded by “undesired elements.”

Asked how the GJMM will now function in his absence and in the absence of Chettri, he said Gurung will now be “devoid of high level intellectual inputs.”

“He will not get intellectual inputs while dealing with the state government or playing political games. He will only get local inputs,” said Dewan.

The General Secretary of the GJMM and Executive Member of the GTA, Roshan Giri, said he will comment on the resignation only after receiving a formal letter from Trilok Dewan.

Leader of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), NB Chettri did not wish to comment when asked about the resignations.

Meanwhile, CRPF personnel were seen patrolling Trilok Dewan’s house below Chowrastha in Darjeeling on Monday. Darjeeling Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit P Javalgi said the police are keeping track of the developments. “We will talk to Trilok Dewan once he returns, and if he requests us for police protection, we will do the needful,” he said.”