Bimal Gurung speaks on Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Trilok Dewan leaving GJM

No worry over Morcha duo, says Gurung
Writes Vivek Chhetri

Bimal Gurung today said "there is nothing to worry over" Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Trilok Dewan leaving the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and asked what these two leaders had been doing for the past four-and-a-half years.

"What were they doing for the past four-and-a-half years? Why did they not discuss issues with me in the past four-and-a-half years? They were also invitee members of the GTA. What were they doing all this while?" asked the Morcha president. "There is nothing to worry over these developments. Everything will be fine tomorrow."

Gurung, who returned from Nepal this afternoon, held a meeting with the Morcha's GTA Sabha members, councillors of hill municipalities and leaders of various frontal organisation in the party to discuss recent development.

Gurung arrives to attend the meeting of Morcha leaders in Darjeeling
on Thursday. Picture by Suman Tamang.

The Morcha had directed its three MLAs, Harka Bahadur Chhetri (Kalimpong), Trilok Kumar Dewan (Darjeeling) and Rohit Sharma (Kurseong) to resign from the Assembly to protest the government's alleged interference in the functioning of the GTA.

While Sharma resigned from the Assembly, Chhetri refused to do so and instead quit the Morcha saying the leadership was acting in a dictatorial manner. Dewan resigned from both the Assembly and the party, and levelled the same charges at the Morcha leadership as Chhetri.

Today, Gurung said: "They accuse me of taking unilateral decisions. But I have discussed various matters with my colleagues in the party. Where have I acted like a dictator?"

Training his guns at Chhetri, the Morcha chief said the demand for a separate Kalimpong district was the party's agenda. "However, people have to decide whether a district or a separate state of Gorkhaland is better," he said.

Gurung said the Morcha would organise a meeting in Kalimpong on September 30, followed by the party's foundation day celebration across the hills on October 7.

Sources privy to the deliberations at today's meeting, which lasted for nearly five hours, said almost all top leaders were asked to speak their mind.

"While some leaders said the party must ensure that there was no violence in the hills, some complained that there indeed was too much interference by the state government in the affairs with regard to the region. While one leader said Chhetri and Dewan's resignation from the Morcha would affect the party, others said the organisation could easily tide over the present crisis," said a source.

Video clipping of what the MLAs had said when Assembly election tickets were distributed was also shown during the course of the meeting, said the source.

Reacting to Gurung's comment on Chhetri's role in the party in the past four-and-a-half years, the Kalimpong MLA said: "We used to advise him (Gurung) but our advice was unwelcome. Our suggestions were never sought. The party's Study Forum was never consulted and we were only kept as human shields. We were never invited to GTA Sabha meetings."

Crackers were burst and a moderate crowd accompanied Chhetri to his house when he arrived in Kalimpong amid tight security today.

Source Telegraph

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