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BJP, CPI(M), Congress attack Mamata Banerjee on Bimal Gurung-Binay Tamang issue

The remarks from BJP, CPI(M) and Congress came after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee met with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Binay Tamang.

BJP, CPI(M), Congress attack Mamata Banerjee on Bimal Gurung-Binay Tamang issue

The opposition parties in West Bengal have attacked the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on similar lines with allegation that the latter was making the on-ground situation in Darjeeling vulnerable once again.

The remarks from BJP, CPI(M) and Congress came after Banerjee met with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Binay Tamang and his faction amid the ongoing tussle between him and party rival and GJM founder Bimal Gurung.

BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy has accused Banerjee of turning Darjeeling’s politics volatile by allowing Gurung to emerge from his exile and then hosting his rival Tamang in the state capital.

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“CM should plan from now on how she will manage if situation worsens in Darjeeling again,” Roy was quoted as saying by Bengali daily Sangbad Pratidin.

Meanwhile, Congress has suggested that the responsibility to maintain peace in Darjeeling did not lie with the TMC-led State Government only and that the BJP government in Central had an equal role as well.

Leader of opposition in the Parliament, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “Didi (Mamata Banerjee) and (Narendra) Modi have turned Darjeeling into a political feast. The difference between Mamata Banerjee’s words and works have been witnessed by everyone.”

He asked, “Till a few days ago Gurung was anti-national, now he is a patriot. Will Gurung suffer a similar fate like Chatradhar Mahato (Maoist-turned-TMC leader)?”

CPI(M) has reflected a similar stance. Central Committee member Sujan Bhattacharya has alleged that the TMC government was trying to make life hard for the general people in the hills.

Bhattacharya suggested that instead of sailing with foot on both the boats of Tamang and Gurung, the State Government should sail according to the wish of Darjeeling’s populace.

Meanwhile, Tamang, along with Anit Thapa, another leader of Gurung’s rival faction in GJM, held a meeting with Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna in Kolkata, where, according to Mr Tamang, they discussed peace and development in the Hills and issues related to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

After the meeting, the Gorkha leaders denied of discussing anything realted to Gurung. “Who is Bimal Gurung? His chapter is closed. Why are you giving such importance to him? He is not in the picture and he is a non-entity. He, along with Roshan Giri, is not in my syllabus. He is neither a subject nor an object for us. We did not discuss him in the meeting today,” Tamang told the press conference.

After Gurung decided to come out in the open, speculations had heated up about the next political equation in the hills. It was believed that the WB CM might call for a truce between Gurung and Tamang in her meeting. But nothing of that sort happened.

Gurung, 56, was leading a part of the GJM which revolted against the state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Meanwhile, another faction of the same party, led by Tamang and Thapa, continued to remain an ally of the ruling TMC.

Gurung’s relationship with Bengal had administration begun to riffle when it did not pay any heed to GJM’s demand of creating a separate Gorkhaland state.

The 56-year-old shocked everyone by emerging in Kolkata during Durga Pujo earlier this month. Not only he joined hands with TMC but launched a scathing attack against BJP. He said that Darjeeling did not get anything despite supporting BJP in the Parliamentary polls for the last 12 years.

 

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