Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supremo Bimal Gurung on Wednesday announced his support to the Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress in 2021 assembly poll in West Bengal and severed ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying the latter did not help in the creation of Gorkhaland state in Darjeeling district.
The GJM leader, who had been underground for nearly three years following his warrant of arrest in scores of cases including assault on policemen during 2017 agitation in Darjeeling, appeared in public for the first time and sprung a surprise by severing ties with the BJP and extending support to the Mamata Banerjee government.
He was seen with GJM general secretary Roshan Giri and many other leaders from Darjeeling during an unannounced media conference in the city.
Gurung, however, said that their demand for a separate Gorkhaland state was on.
He said the BJP which is ruling for the six years in the country did not do anything for the creation of Gorkhaland.
We believe the BJP would not fulfil our demand but Mamata Banerjee always fulfilled whatever she committed to,” he said.
“We came to know the differences between the Centre and the state. In the 2021 Assembly polls, I would like to give a strong message to the BJP. No one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Amit Shah fulfilled the promise.”
“Our demand for a permanent political solution will remain and in 2024 Lok Sabha polls we will support Mamata Banerjee,” he said.
