Gurung suspended from GJM, Binay Tamang takes over as President
Darjeeling: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha President Bimal Gurung, General Secretary Roshan Giri, Gorkha Janmukti Nari Morcha President Asha Gurung along with 11 others were suspended for six months from the party on Monday.
Binay Tamang was nominated the new President and Anit Thapa the General Secretary of the GJM. The development took place on Monday, a day ahead of the bipartite meeting between the West Bengal Government and hill political outfits in Siliguri. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is attending the talks.
Giri dubbing the expulsion "illegal" has threatened to take legal recourse.
The
Gorkha
Janmukti
Morcha
(GJM)
Central
Committee
meeting
replaced
Gurung
with
Tamang
on
Monday.
Following
the
meeting,
addressing
media
persons,
Binay
Tamang
stated
"Invoking
Article
6
and
7
of
the
GJM
constitution
we
have
suspended
14
GJM
members
including
Bimal
Gurung,
Roshan
Giri
and
Asha
Gurung
for
6
months
for
having
failed
to
discharge
their
duties
as
well
as
not
being
present
in
the
Hills" stated
Binay
Tamang.
The
14
suspended
from
the
party
for
6
months
include
front
rung
GJM
leaders
and
leaders
from
GJM
and
the
frontal
organizations.
The
central
committee
thereby
invoking
Article
7(j)
of
the
party
constitution
unanimously
nominated
Tamang
as
the
President
and
Anit
Thapa
as
the
General
Secretary.
While
Tamang's
name
for
the
post
of
President
was
proposed
by
GJM
Central
Committee
member
LM
Lama,
the
name
of
Anit
Thapa
for
the
post
of
General
Secretary
was
proposed
by
Alok
Kanta
Mani
Thulung.
"We initially had a 93 member central committee. However many have resigned and some have joined other political outfits. There were 37 members present in the Central Committee meeting which makes it a 43% attendance. We will appraise the change in portfolios to the State Election Commission and the Election Commission of India as GJM is a registered party" stated Tamang. A quorum is reached at around 33% attendance.
As the remaining 12 suspensions have left important port folios vacant in the frontal organizations affiliated to the GJM, a central committee meeting to be held soon will decide on the leaders to fill up the vacant posts, added Tamang.
Incidentally with the renewed agitation and the 104 day long bandh in the Hills since June, the GJM suffered a major blow and a vertical split. Tamang and Thapa coming out in open against the 104 day long bandh had parted ways with Gurung. They had given a call for the lifting of the bandh.
Gurung
then
claimed
that
a
Central
Committee
had
expelled
Tamang
and
Thapa.
The
rebel
leaders
continued
with
the
GJM
asking
Gurung
to
prove
the
quorum
of
the
meeting.
Later
Tamang
was
nominated
the
Chairman
of
the
Board
of
Administrators
(BOA)
to
run
the
Gorkhaland
Territorial
Administration
and
Thapa
the
Vice
Chairman,
further
putting
Gurung
in
a
tight
spot.
Gurung who has been implicated in a number of cases and has been charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act is on the run. He has a Look-out notice along with an arrest warrant in his name.
From undisclosed locations Gurung has been sending audio clips dubbing Tamang and Thapa for having sided with the West Bengal Government thereby selling the Gorkhaland demand. Gurung warned the Hills to stay away from "traitors" Tamang and Thapa.
Gurung had even appealed the Hills to stay away from the rally organized by Tamang and Thapa faction on November 19, dubbing it a "Black day."
However
defying
Gurung's
diktat,
the
rally
on
Sunday
had
witnessed
a
huge
turnout.
Bolstered
by
this
the
GJM
Central
Committee
ousted
Gurung,
Giri,
Asha
Gurung
and
Gurung
sympathizers.
The
move
also
comes
a
day
ahead
of
bipartite
talks
between
the
State
Government
and
Hill
parties
to
find
a
solution
to
the
Gorkha
impasse.
The
meeting
is
scheduled
to
be
held
at
4pm
at
Pintail
Village
in
the
outskirts
of
Siliguri.
Binay Tamang; Anit Thapa; Darjeeling MLA Amir Singh Rai; Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma; central committee members Tshering Dahal and Sanchabir Subba will be attending the bipartite talks with the State Government. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also be attending the talks.
Tamang and Thapa taking over the reins of the party has put them at an advantage feel political commentators. They will have to locus standi to attend tripartite talks between the State, Centre and the GJM in the capacity of the President and General Secretary of the hill political outfit.
The central committee meeting on Monday held in a resort in Ghoom, 8km from Darjeeling town also decided to expand, consolidate and strengthen the party along with the frontal organizations.
A
GJM
rally
will
be
held
in
Sukna
near
Siliguri
within
the
second
week
of
December
to
be
attended
by
party
workers
and
supporters
from
the
Hills,
Terai
and
Dooars.
A
3
member
GJM
team
led
by
LM
Lama
will
be
taking
part
in
Gorkhaland
demand
programme
in
Delhi
on
November
26th
organized
by
Gorkhaland
Sangarsha
Samity.
Roshan Giri reacting to the suspension stated "Suspension is illegal. They do not have any right. Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa have already been expelled from the party. We will seek legal recourse."
OneIndia News