A day after the BJP held a rally in Kolkata, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung met West Bengal Mamata Banerjee at the State secretariat at Nabanna in Howrah district, here on Monday.
This comes at a time when Mr. Gurung was absent at the rally on Sunday, which saw the participation of BJP national president Amit Shah. Several BJP leaders, including party MP from the State’s Darjeeling constituency S.S. Ahluwalia, were present at the rally.
The GJM, an ally of the BJP, has been demanding the creation of a separate State of Gorkhaland.
Mr. Gurung said: “I had a casual meeting with Ms. Banerjee for 10 minutes. I also had a meeting with a meeting with the Home Secretary.”
He added that he discussed the transfer of departments which the State government was yet to hand over to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), of which Mr. Gurung is the chief executive.
The GTA is a semi-autonomous administrative body for the Darjeeling hills. Mr. Gurung had resigned from the GTA in July 30 to agitate for a separate State, after the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance gave its noSd to the separate State of Telangana.
He, however, took his oath of office as the chief executive in December 2013. This was considered as a political victory for Ms. Banerjee as she has remained tough on her stand of an undivided Bengal.
